
Class ^llia 
Book A 



GoiyriglitN^. 

CQBQRIGHT OEFOSZC 






FIRST LESSONS 



HISTORY 



THE UNITED STATES. 



COMPILED FOR THE 

/ 

USE OF COMMON SCHOOLS. 



BY A PRACTICAL TEACHER. 



BOSTON: 
HICKLING, SWAN, AND BROWN. 

185G. 



KntereJ, accorJiiif? to Act of Confess, iu tho Year 1S56, by 

IIicKLiNO, Swan, and Bkown, 

In tho Clerk's Office of tlio District Court of tlio Diatrict of MsEsachnsetts. 



Int 



bll. 



STPREO'JTPED AT THE 
BOSTON 8TEKE0TYPE FOUNDRY. 



PREFACE. 



Since so much has been said and done for the difiu- 
sion of knowledge among the people of this country, and 
so generally and generously has each of the states pro- 
vided the means for imparting public instruction, we are 
safe in presuming that every child, between the ages of 
five and fifteen years, either goes to school or may go. 
If this be so, then we affirm that every child in the United 
States should learn something of the history of his own 
country before leaving school. He should have imprinted 
on his mind a vivid outline of the story of his native land. 

The history of America is fruitful in interesting inci- 
dent ; and " Young America " should be familiar with his 
own pedigree, and hold in hallowed remembrance the 
" times that tried men's souls," — the souls of his fathers, 
— if he would be honored and respected at home and 
abroad, and secure for himself a virtuous, happy, and 
" green old age." Improvement in individual and national 
virtue is not the least among the advantages to result from 
the study of history ; and no country, ancient or modem, 
affords examples better adapted to excite indignation 
against the oppressor, and to cause the heart to glow with 
the admiration of suffering virtue, than America, both in 
its early settlement and in its struggles for independence. 

(3) 



4 PREFACE. 

To facilitate the attainment of this knowledge by the 
young is the design of the present compilation, in which 
the leading facts of our history are placed before the 
learner in familiar language, and in a concise form. Many 
important incidents are illustrated by appropriate engrav- 
ings, and six well-drawn maps, engraved on steel and col- 
ored, are inserted to aid the pupil in locating the scenes 
and events described. At the close of the volume is a 
series of questions, which may be used by the teacher in 
conducting examinations, or by the learner to ascertain 
whether he has mastered his lesson. The Chi-onological 
Table has been prepared with great care, and contains, 
besides the topics treated in this book, many others of 
interest and importance connected with American History. 

BosTOJf, January, 1856. 



INDEX TO MAPS. 

Mexico, Guatimala, and "West Indies, faces page 14 

Middle States, 16 

Eastern States, 32 

Canada, New Brunswick, &c., 48 

Southern States, 56 

Mexico, 152 



CONTENTS. 



Chapter Page 

I. DISCOVERIES IN AMERICA, 7 

II. SETTLEMENTS. VIRGINIA, 15 

III. NEW YORK, 24 

IV. PLYMOJTTH COLONY, 31 

MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY, .... 31 

MAINE, 31 

NEW HAMPSHIRE, 31 

CONNECTICUT, 31 

RHODE ISLAND, 31 

VERMONT, 31 

v. NEW JERSEY, 50 

DELAWARE, 50 

MARYLAND, 50 

PENNSYLVANIA, 50 

CAROLINA, 50 

GEORGIA, 50 

VI. FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR, 60 

VII. THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, 70 

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, .... 88 
1 * (5) 



CONTENTS. 



VIII. 



IX. 
X. 

XI. 

XII. 

XIII. 

XIV. 

XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 

XVIII. 
XIX. 



ADOPTION OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE 

UNITED STATES, 

THE CONSTITUTION, 

AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION, 

GEOEGE Washington's administration, 
JOHN adams's administration, . . . 
THOMAS Jefferson's administration, . 
JAMES Madison's administration, . . 
JAMES Monroe's administration, . . 

JOHN QUINCY adams's ADMINISTRATION, 

ANDREW Jackson's administration, 

MARTIN VAN BUREN's ADMINISTRATION, 

WILLIAM H. Harrison's administration, 
JOHN Tyler's administration, . . . 

JAMES K. folk's ADMINISTRATION, . . 

ZACHARY Taylor's administration, . . 
MILLARD Fillmore's administration, . 



103 
105 
121 
125 
127 
128 
131 
144 
147 
148 
149 
150 
150 
151 
158 
159 



questions for examination, 161 

chronological table, 184 



riEST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 



I. DISCOVERIES IN AMERICA. 

1. America was discovered by Christopher Columbus, 
in 1492.1 This celebrated man was born at Genoa, in 
Italy, in the year 1435 or 1436. He was the son of a 
wool comber, and became a sailor when he was fourteen 
years of age. He made a great many short voyages in 
the Mediterranean Sea, and sailed to the northern seas of 
Europe, which was at that time deemed a remarkable 
enterprise. 

2. After this he returned to Italy, and engaged in a 

1 After the discovery had been made, other nations laid claim to this 
honor, and thus attempted to deprive Columbus of the merit to which 
he was justly entitled. 

The only nations, however, which appear to have had even the sem- 
blance for such a claim were the Welsh and Norwegians. 

In regard to the Welsh, no well-founded claim appears to exist, be- 
yond the discovery and attempted settlement of the islands in the 
Atlantic called the Azores ; and even these are doubtful. There is 
stronger reason for believing that the Northmen, in the beginning of 
the tenth century, discovered Newfoundland or Labrador, and even 
visited the shores of Rhode Island and Massachusetts. It is claimed, 
also, that they attempted to colonize the country. While there is no 
certain record of these events, historical writers treat the claims in 
favor of the Northmen with respect. But these cannot detract from 
the honor of the great Genoese navigator. His was a discovery not of 
chance, but of calculation. 

(7) 



8 FIRST LESSONS IN niSTORY. 

war against the Venetians and Turks. One day, when 
cruising in a vessel off the coast of Portugal, he met witli 
a Venetian ship ; an engagement immediately followed, in 
which both vessels took fire, and the crews were com- 
pelled to leap into the sea. Columbus was a good swim- 
mer, and supported by an oar, he succeeded in reaching 
the land. 

3. At this time there were no large ships, and people 
were not accustomed to sail out fearlessly upon the broad 
ocean, as they now are ; the people of Europe, who had 
only sailed timidly along the shores of the eastern conti- 
nent, did not know that such a country as America existed. 
The shape of the earth Avas then unknown ; some persons 
supposed that it was flat, but nobody knew that it was 
round. The art of navigation was, however, rapidly ad- 
vancing ; seamen were venturing farther on the deep, and 
an ardent desire to explore the unknown ocean was kin- 
dled. This curiosity had been greatly stimulated by the 
Portuguese discovery of Madeira and Porto Santo, lying 
to the north-west of Africa. 

4. It was at this period that Columbus landed in Por- 
tugal, the sailors of which country were the best naviga- 
tors in the world. He proceeded to Lisbon, the capital, 
where he soon married the daughter of a distinguished 
navigator, Bartholomew Perestrel'Io, formerly governor 
of Porto Santo. 

5. Perestrello being dead, Columbus had access to all 
his charts and journals ; and from these he acquu'cd much 
information. He again went to sea, and for many years 
carried on a profitable trade between Madeira, the coast 
of Africa, the Azores, and the Canaries. 

6. At this period the people of Europe had considera- 
ble trade with India, but no vessels ever having passed 
round the Cape of Good Hope, the people did not know 



DISCOVERIES IN AMERICA. 9 

the shape of Africa, nor did they know that they could go 
from Europe to India by watei*. They therefore sent their 
merchandise across the Mediterranean, to the ports of 
Egypt, whence they were taken by land to the Red Sea. 
Here they were transported in vessels, which sailed 
through the Straits of Babelmandel, and across the Indian 
Ocean, to India. 

7. This method of conducting so important a commerce 
was expensive and tedious. The people, therefore, were 
very anxious to find some way of going to India by sea. 
Tliis great subject occupied the attention of all Europe, 
and Columbus, in particular, dwelt upon it with the most 
mtense interest. He studied books ; he consulted maps ; 
and often, while his little vessel wa^ ploughing the sea, he 
would revolve in his mind all the fticts which he had col- 
lected relating to it. 

8. At night, wlien the stars shone down upon his ship, 
floating like a speck on the bosom of the mighty ocean, he 
looked up and mused, with curious wonder, upon the 
heavenly bodies. From these contemplations his mind 
descended to the earth, and strove to solve the mysteries 
that involved it. Was it a vast plain, stretching out to a 
boundless extent ? Or was it a globe, swung in the heav- 
ens, and revolving, like a planet, around the sun ? After 
a great deal of reflection, Columbus adopted this latter 
idea, and, applying it to the question of reaching India by 
water, he concluded that, if he sailed across the Atlantic 
in a westerly direction, he should at length come to India. 

9. Columbus therefore resolved to enter upon the 
grand scheme of sailing westward upon the Atlantic, to 
discover what might lie beyond it. He immediately made 
known his views to the government of Genoa, his own 
countrymen, with a request that they would fit out a small 
fleet, in which he might make the desired voyage. But 



10 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTOET. 

these men, being ignorant, rejected the offer with con- 
tempt. 

10. He next applied to the court of Lisbon, who lis- 
tened attentively to his scheme, and detained him for a 
long time. In the mean time they fitted out a vessel, and 
despatched it privately, with a view of anticipating 
Columbus in his great project. But the commander of the 
vessel was incompetent to the enterprise which he had 
undertaken, and soon came back, having made no dis- 
covery. 

11. Disgusted with this meanness, Columbus set out for 
Madrid, the capital of Spain. By what route or by what 
means he reached this country, we have no information ; 
but he arrived there, and succeeded, through the intiueuce 
of a prior of a convent, in obtaining an interview with 
Ferdinand and Isabella, then on the united thrones of 
Castile and Arragon.^ 

12. For a time these sovereigns gave him no encourage- 
ment ; but finally the queen undertook the enterprise, and 
generously otfered to part with her own jewels to defray 
the expense of the outfit. Accordingly, a fleet, consisting 
of three small vessels, was soon ready for the voyage. 
The names of these vessels were the Santa Maria, the 
Pinta, and the Nina, and on board of them were ninety 



' Spain, which had long been in possession of the Romans, was in- 
vaded by the Vandals, and other tribes from the north, in the fifth 
century ; these tribes were subdued by the Visigoths, or Western 
Goths. During the eighth century the Moors or Saracens invaded 
and conquered a great part of the country ; but the Goths retained a 
portion, and afterwards founded several distinct kingdoms, the most 
considerable of which were Castile and Leon, Arragon and Navarre. 
In 147i, Ferdinand, King of Arragon, married Isabella, Queen of Cas- 
tile and Leon, and thus they united the two kingdoms. Navarre was 
subsequently conquered in 1512, and Spain was thus formed into one 
monarchy. 



DISCOVERIES IN AMERICA. 11 

mariners, together with private adventurers, numbering in 
all one hundred and twenty persons. 

13. On Friday, the 3d of August, 1492, Columbus 
with his little fleet set sail from Palos, in Spain. The 
adventurers proceeded in the first place to the Canary 
Isles. These they left on the 6th of September, and, 
sailing in a westerly direction, launched forth upon the 
bosom of the unknown deep. They soon lost sight of 
land, and nothing could be seen but the skies above and 
the water spread out around them. A solemn mystery 
hung over the sea, and, as they advanced on their voyage, 
they could not tell what dangers they might encounter. 

14. They proceeded for several weeks, constantly sail- 
ing in a westerly direction ; but Columbus had great ditR- 
culty with his men. They were exceedingly alarmed at 
the idea of being at such a vast distance from home, upon 
an unknown sea ; and at length their fears were so much 
excited, that both the officers and men, on board the three 
vessels, positively refused to go any farther. They even 
thought of throwing Columbus overboard ; and j)erhaps 
they would have executed this design, if he had not found 
means to pacify them. He finally proposed that they 
should go on for three days more, and if by that time they 
did not discover land, he promised to return. This was 
deemed a reasonable jiroposition, and they all agreed to it. 

15. As they proceeded they very soon met with float- 
ing sea weed, and saw birds in the air. Some of these 
appeared to be weary, and settled upon the masts of the 
vessels. Here they remained all night, but in the morning 
they departed, and flew to the west. All these things 
made the sailors believe that land was near; and their 
hopes and expectations were soon raised to tlie highest 
pitch. 

1 6. One night, as Columbus was standing upon the deck 



12 



FIRST LESSONS IN HISTOKT. 



of his vessel, looking out upon the sea, he thought he dis- 
covered a light. He mentioned it to some of the men, and 
they, too, thought they could see it. There was now no 
sleep on board the vessels. Both sailors and officers were 
gathered upon the decks, or distributed among the rigging, 
straining their eyes to discover land. At two o'clock in 
the morning, a man, stationed on the top of the mast in 
the forward vessel, exclaimed, " Land ! land ! " This was 
soon communicated to the others, and the most lively joy 
filled the breasts of all the seamen. 

17. The morning came, and assured them that their 
hopes were realized. The shore lay before them in the 
distance, and the sun shone down upon it, seeming in their 
eyes to give it an aspect of peculiar beauty. Deeply 
affected with gratitude to that Being who had borne them 
safely over the waves, and crowned their bold adventure 
with success, they knelt down, and offered to Heaven their 
warmest expressions of thanksgiving. 
. 18. Having approached the shore, Columbus and some 




Landing of Colnmbns. 



DISCOVERIES IN AMERICA. 13 

of his officers entered a boat, and went towards the land. 
They perceived that it was covered with woods, diversified 
with hills and valleys, and watered by rivers. As they 
came near, they saw a multitude of people, almost naked, 
and of a red color, collected upon the shore. These were 
attracted by the strange spectacle before them. They had 
never seen vessels or white men before ; and when the 
Spaniards approached the island, with colors flying, and 
amid bursts of martial music, their astonishment knew no 
bounds. 

19. At length the boat I'eached the shore. Columbus, 
richly dressed, and having a drawn sword in his hand, first 
sprang from the boat, and set his foot upon the eazth. 
His companions followed, and kneeling down, kissed the 
ground, to express their joy and gratitude. The Sjianiards 
now erected a cross, before which they performed religious 
worship ; and Columbus then took possession of the coun- 
try in the name of the King and Queen of Spain. These 
events took place on the 11th of October, 1492. The 
island they discovered was one of the Bahamas, now called 
Cat Island. It was called Guanahani by the natives, but 
Columbus gave it the name of St. Salvador. 

20. The Spaniards were surprised, on landing, to find a 
race of people such as they had never seen in Europe. 
They were of a copper color, nearly naked, beardless, with 
long black hair hanging on their shoulders. The natives 
w ei*e still more surprised at the sight of the Spaniards. 
They looked with amazement upon their ships, and when 
they heard a cannon fired, they were struck with fear and 
wonder. 

21. After spending some time in examining this island, 
Columbus set sail, and visited several others, not far 
distant. On the 7th of November, he reached Cuba; 

2 



14 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTOUY. 

and afterwards he discovered Ilayti, which he called His- 
paniola. 

22. Having spent some time in examining the country, 
Columbus set sail on his return to Spain ; and after many 
dangers, he reached Palos, on the fifteenth of May, 149S, 
after an absence of nine months and eleven days. He wa« 
received with the greatest honor by the people^; and, as he 
travelled across the country to visit the king and queed, 
and tell them of his discovery, the inhabitants flocked with 
eager curiosity to see hira. When he came to the city oJT 
Barcelona, where the king resided, a grand procession wa|s 
formed, and moved through the city to a public squard, 
where the king and queen were seated on a splendifl 
throne. Here they received Columbus with the greatest 
mai-ks of honor. He then gave an accoimt of his voyage 
to the king and queen, and those around him. They lis- 
tened to liirn with breathless attention, for he was an el?- 

^ 'quent man, and his story was one of the deepest interest. 
; _The king was so much delighted that he ordered a nejv 
• ■ expedition to be immediately thted out, and gave the conii- 
mand of it to Columbus. 

23. After this Columbus made a second, third, and 
fourth voyage ; on the third of which, he <liscovered tlie 
continent of South America. He died in Yalladolid, m 
150G, at about the age of seventy years. 

24. -The fame of Columbus "spread rapidly throughout 
Europe, and many adventurers came to America ; amoijig 
whom was Americus Vespnoius, a native of Florence, who, 
on his return to Spain, wrote an account of his voyage, 
claiming the honor of being the first discoverer of the 

i main land ; and from him .the continent was named Am^r- 
~ ica. Columbus was thereby unjustly deprived of the honor 
" of giving his name to the country which he had discovered. 

25. In 1497 John Cabot, a Venetian by birth, and liis 



N° I. — 




SETTLE5IEXTS. VIRGINIA. 15 

son, Sebastian Ctvhot, made a voyage under the patronage 
of Henry VII. of England, and discovered the continent of 
North America. In 14'J8 Sebastian made a second voy- 
age, and explored the coast of North America from Lab- 
rador to Virginia. This was the foundation of the English 
claim to North America. 

2G. In 1524 John Verrazani, a native of Florence, made 
a voyage in behalf of the King of France. He explored 
the coast as far north as Newfoundland, and gave to the 
region he visited the name of New France. In 1534> 
James Cartier, in the employ of France, explored the 
coast of Newfoundland ; and the following year, he sailed 
up the St. Lawrence River as far as Montreal. These 
voyages were the foundation of the French claim to that 
part of North America which is now called Canada. 

27. In 1541 Ferdinand de Soto, a Spaniard, discovered 
the Mississippi River. He died on its banks in 1542, and 
was buried in the river, at his own request.' 



n.- SETTLEMENTS. — VLRGmiA. 

1. Previous to the year 1G07, North America was 
a wide hunting ground for the Indians. They alone dwelt 
in its valleys, roamed over its hills and mountains, and 
sailed upon its rivers and bays. 

2. The Spaniards had penetrated into South America, 
and found countries abounding in silver and gold. Stories 
of their success were circulated throughout Europe, and 

' Several other voyages of discovery were undertaken previous to 
the settlement of North America, descriptions of which may be found 
in more extended works upon history ; hut the foregoing accounts will 
be suflicient for the purposes of this treatise. 



Ifi 



FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 



the spirit of adventure entered into many mind^. In Eng- 
land a company was formed for making a settlement in 
North America ; and having obtained a grant of land, 
they des})atclied tliree ships, with one liundred and five 
adventurers, for the new world. 

3. Afl(n* saihng across the Atlantic, a storm drove them 
into the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. On approaching the 
land, tliey discovered a large and beautiful river, which 
they called James River, in honor of James I., then king 
of England. They sailed up this river, and had several 
interviews with the Indians, who received them kindly ; 
and on the 13th of May, 1 607, they landed, and com- 
menced their settlement at Jamestown. This was the first 
permanent English settlement in North America. 







Settlement of Jamestown. 



4. The colonists soon began to experience difficulties 
wliich they had not foreseen. The provisions they brought 
with tliem were at length exhausted ; and having planted 
nothing, they were in great want of food. Besides this, 



SETTLEMEXTS. VIRGINIA. 17 

the climate being hot and damp, many of them were 
taken sick, and in the course of four months fifty of them 
died. 

5. They Avere now in great distress, and hardly luiew 
what to do. In this emei'gency, they consulted one of 
their number, named John Smith. He was certainly one 
of the most extraordinar}- men that ever lived. At the 
age of fifteen, he had left England, and travelled on foot 
through Spain, France, and Germany. 

6. He was once engaged in a battle with the Turks, 
and being wounded, was taken prisoner and sent to Con- 
stantmople. Hei-e he was made a slave, and was treated 
cruelly by his master ; but his mistress took compassion 
on him, and sent him to her brother, who lived at a great 
distance, requesting that he might be treated kindly. But 
her directions were not followed, and Smith received the 
same harsh treatment as before. Irritated by this, he slew 
his new master. He then travelled in various countries, 
meeting with strange adventures wherever he went. 

7. After this he returned to England, and joined the 
expedition to Virginia. While they were at sea, the emi- 
grants became jealous of him, and put him in confhiement. 
In this condition he remained until the distress of the colony 
rendered his assistance necessary. They then granted 
him a trial ; and being acquitted, he immediately adopted 
measures for remedying the existing evils. He set about 
building a fort, to protect the people from the Indians, and 
made long journeys into the wilderness, to procure corn 
and other food of the natives. 

8. On one occasion he obtained an Indian idol, made 
of skins and stuffed with moss. This the savages rever- 
enced very much ; and in order to get it back, they paid 
him as much corn as he asked for. Nothing could exceed 
the boldness and enterprise of this singular man; yet it 

2* 



18 FIKST LESSONS IX IIISTOKV. 

must be confessed that his conduct was not always rec^- 
lated by justice or truth. In his intercourse with the 
savages, he resorted to stratag(;m or violence, if he could 
not succeed in his plans by other means. It was partly 
on this account that the Indians began to hate the white 
people ; and Smith himself nearly fell a victim to the 
feelings of i\3venge which he had excited. 

9. lie went one day to explore the little River Chick- 
ahominy. IIa^■ing ascended as far as he could in a boat, 
he left it in charge of his men, and proceeded along the 
bank of the river, with two white men and two Indian 
guides. But not long after he was gone, the savages, who 
were lurking in the woods, surrounded the men in the 
boat, and took them prisoners. 

10. They then pursued Smith, and soon coming up 
with him, killed his Avhite companions with their arrows, 
and wounded him. But with an undaunted spirit, he fired 
upon his enemies, and tying one of the Indian guides to 
his side, he continued to retreat towards the boat. Awed 
by his bravery, the savages kept aloof; but at length he 
came to a place where he sank in the mire. 

11. Being unable to extricate himself, his enemies now 
seized him, and took him in triumph to Powhatan, their 
king. A council was now held, to determine what should 
be done with the prisoner, and it was decided that he 
should die. He was accordingly brought fortli, and being 
laid on the ground, his head was placed upon a stone. 

12. Powhatan claimed the honor of killing him. lie 
took a large club, and, raising it high in the air, was about 
to give the fatal blow, when his daughter, Pocahontas, 
moved by pity, rushed to the prisoner, and sheltered his 
body by her own. The astonished chief brought his club 
slowly to the ground, and a murmur of surprise bui'st 
from the lips of the savages who stood around. The chief 



SKTTLKMENT3. VIRGINIA. 19 

now raised his daughter, and seeming to be touched by 
that pity which had affected her so much, gave Smith his 
hberty, and sent him back to Jamestown. 




Pocahontas saving the life of Smith. 

l.j. On his return Smith found the number of colonists 
reduced to thirty-eight. They were so disheartened that 
most of them had determined to abandon the settlement, 
and go back to England. Smith remonstrated, but they 
Avould not stop. They entered a small vessel, and pre- 
])ared to sail down the river. He determined that they 
should not go ; so he pointed the guns of the fort at the 
vessel, and threatened to sink her if they did not return. 
Alarmed at this, they gave up their project, and came 
ashore. 

1 4. The colony was now almost in a starving condition ; 
but Smith, by this time, had acquired such a reputation for 
courage among the Indians, that they did not dare to re- 
fuse supplies. Pocahontas, too, the beautiful Indian girl 
who had saved his life, continued to be his friend, and 



20 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

sent liira such articles as were most needed. Thus the 
colony was able to subsist till Captain Ne^vport, who 
brought out the first settlers, returned to the colony, bring- 
ing with him a quantity of provisions, and one hundred 
and twenty persons. 

15. Now that the danger was over, the colonists would 
no longer submit to the government of Smith. Disorder 
and confusion among the people soon followed. About 
the same time, the passion for gold, which had induced 
many of the settlers to come to the country, was again 
excited. Some particles of yellow shining earth were 
found in the bank of a little stream north of Jamestown. 
Captivated with the idea of getting suddenly rich, the 
colonists left their proper employments, and went to dig 
what they supposed to be gold. 

IG. Smith endeavored to dissuade them, but they would 
not listen to him. Nothing was thought of, or talked of, 
but gold. So they all went to filling the ship with the 
earth, which they supposed to contain particles of that 
precious metal. At length she was loaded, and sailed for 
England. When she arrived there, the cargo was exam- 
ined, and found to be nothing but common mud, filled 
with little pieces of shining stone. 

17. There is a lesson to be drawn from this point of 
history. " All is not gold that glitters," says the proverb ; 
and so the Virginians found it. I hope my readers, if 
they are ever tempted by any shining prospect to depart 
from the path of duty, will recollect that what seems to 
be gold often proves to be only vulgar dust. 

18. Smith, finding that he could not be useful, left the 
colonists digging for gold, and went himself to explore 
the coasts of the Chesapeake Bay. Having been absent 
some time, he returned, and after a while went again to 
traverse the wilderness. He often met the Indians, traded 



SETTLEMENTS. VIRGINIA. 21 

with some, fought with some, and again went back to the 
settlement, leaving with the natives an awful impression of 
his valor. On his return he was again chosen president, 
and the people submitting to his authority, order was soon 
restored. Habits of industry were resumed, and peace 
and plenty soon smiled upon the colony. 

19. In 1609 the London Company sent out nine ships, 
with nine hundred emigrants, to the colony. On board 
of one of these vessels there were some officers appointed 
to rule over them. This, vmhappily, was driven by a 
storm upon the Bermudas, and detained for a long time. 
The other vessels arrived safely ; but the persons who 
came in them were of a vicious character, and refused to 
permit Smith to govern them. He determined, however, 
that he would be obeyed, and accordingly he seized upon 
several of them, and put them in prison. This alarmed 
the rest, and order was again restored. 

20. It >was about this time that the Indians, fearing 
that the white people would become too powerful, deter- 
mined to make a sudden attack upon them, and kill them 
all. Pocahontas heard of this scheme, and resolved, if 
possible, to save the English. Accordingly, one dark and 
stormy night, she left her father's wigwam, and went 
alone, through the forests, to Jamestown. Here she found 
Smith, and apprised him of the threatened danger. She 
then returned, and Smith took immediate measures to put 
the colony in a state of defence. The Indians, finding the 
people watchful and prepared, gave up their project ; and 
thus again did Pocahontas save the life of Smith, as well 
as the lives of all the white people in the colony. 

21. About this time Smith received a dangei'ous wound, 
which obliged him to go to England, to consult a surgeon. 
The Indians, finding the only man they feared was gone, 
attacked the colony, and cutting off their supplies, reduced 



22 FIRST LESSONS IX HISTORY. 

them to the greatest extremity. Sucli, in a short time, 
was their miserable condition, that they devoured the skins 
of their horses, the bodies of the Indians they had killed, 
and the flesh of theu" dead companions. In six months 
their number was reduced from more than five hundi'ed 
to sixty. 

22. At this time, the persons who had been wrecked 
at Bermuda arrived ; but they, with the other settlers, all 
agreed that it was best to quit the settlement, and return 
to England. Accordingly they sailed down the river for 
that purpose. Fortunately they were met by Lord Dela- 
ware, who had come in a vessel from England, loaded 
with provisions. This revived their courage, and they 
went back to Jamestown. 

23. The colony now began to enjoy more favoral^le 
prospects. Lord Delaware, who was governor, restored 
order and contentment by his mild and gentle conduct, 
and the Indians were once more taught to respect and fear 
the English. In 1611, new settlers arrived, and other 
towns were founded ; and under a succession of wise 
governors, Virginia became a flourishing and extensive 
colony. 

24. In 1G12 Captain Argal went on a trading voyage 
up the Potomac, and heard that Pocahontas was in the 
neighborhood, lie invited her to come on board his ves- 
sel, and she came. He then detained her, and carried 
her to Jamestown. He knew that Powhatan loved his 
daughter, and thought, while she was in the possession of 
the English, that he would be afraid to do them mischief. 
But the noble-hearted chief, indignant at the treachery 
that had been practised, refused to listen to any terms of 
peace till his dauglUer was restored. 

25. While Pocahontas was at Jamestown, a respectable 
young Enghshman, named Rolfe, became very fond of her. 



SETTLEMENTS. VIRGINIA. -23 

She was, indeed, a very interesting woman — simple, in- 
nocent, and beautiful. Pocahontas soon became attached 
to Rolfe, and with the consent of Powhatan, they were 
married. This was followed by peace between the colony 
and all the tribes subject to Powhatan. Soon after, Rolfe 
visited England with his bride. She was received by the 
king and queen with the respect due to her virtues as a 
woman, and her rank as a princess. When she was about 
to return to America, she died, leaving one child, from 
whom some of the most respectable families in Virginia 
have descended. 

26. New settlers now frequently amved, and the colony 
rapidly increased. In 1620 a Dutch vessel came to 
Jamestown, bringing twenty Africans, who were purchased 
by the people. These were the first slaves brought into 
our country, and thus the foundation was laid for the sys- 
tem of slavery which now pervades the Southern States. 

27. In 1622, in the midst of apparent peace and pros- 
perity, the colony was on the point of annihilation. Pow- 
hatan, the friend of the English, was dead. His successor, 
Opechancanough, was a chief of great talent ; but he se- 
cretly hated the English, and formed a scheme for their 
destruction. By his art and eloquence he persuaded all 
the neighboring tribes to unite in an effort to kill every 
white man, woman, and child throughout the colony. 

28. To conceal their purpose, the Indians now pro- 
fessed the greatest friendship for the English, and, the 
evening before the attack, brought them presents of game. 
The next day, precisely at twelve o'clock, the slaughter 
began, and three hundred and forty-seven inen, women, 
and children were killed in a few hours. More would 
have been destroyed, had not the plot been revealed by 
a friendly Indian, in time to put several of the towns on 
their guard. 



24 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

29. This dreadful scene roused the English to ven- 
geance. They pursued their enemies into the woods, 
burned their wigwams, hunted them from forest to forest, 
killed hundreds of them, and drove the rest back into 
remote retreats. But although victorious, their numbers 
were very much reduced. Out of eighty settlements, only 
eight remained; and in 1624, of the nine thouj^and that 
had come to the colony, eighteen hundred only were living. 

30. In 1676 the colony experienced all the miseries 
of civil war. Nathaniel Bacon, a lawyer, put himself at 
the head of a rebellion, during which Jamestown was 
burned, and the adjacent districts laid waste. At length he 
died, and Governor Berkley resumed his authority. Not- 
withstanding these ti'oubles, Virginia continued to flourish, 
and in 1688 contained sixty thousand inhabitants. From 
that period till about the year 1756, they continued to 
prosper, and to increase in numbers. 



ni. — SETTLEMENl'S. — NEW YORK. 

1. In the year 1609, Henry Hudson, an Englisli navi- 
gator, was employed by some Dutch people to go on a 
voyage of discovery. He came to America, and discov- 
ered the river which now bears his name. He sailed up 
as far as Albany, and went in his boat a little farther. He 
saw, then, along the banks of the river, nothing but trees, 
and Indians, and wild animals. What a change has taken 
place ! The island at the mouth of the river, which v,as 
then covered only with trees and shrubs, is now the seat 
of a mighty city ; and the banks of the Hudson, then so 
solitai-y, are now sprinkled over with towns, cities, villages, 
and country seats. 



SETTLEMENTS. NEW YORK. 25 

2. Five years after Hudson's discovery, some Dutch 
people came to Albany, and commenced a settlement. 
This was in the year 1614, six years before the Pilgrims 
arrived at Plymouth. It was the first settlement made in 
New York. About the same time they buUt a few houses 
on an island called by the Lidians Manhattan, where the 
city of New York now stands. You wiU observe that 
New York was settled by Dutch, not English people. 
They came from Holland, or the Nethei'lands, and the 
colony, which increased rapidly, was claimed by that 
country. 

3. In 1643 a war broke out with the Indians. The 
Dutch governor employed a brave captain, by the name 
of Underbill, to go against them. He had been a soldier 
in Europe, and knew well how to conduct the business of 
war. He took with him one hundred and fifty men, and 
they had a great many battles with the Indians. The lat- 
ter were defeated, and four hundred of them were killed 
during the war. 

4. In 1646 a severe battle was fought with the Indians, 
near Horseneck. Great numbers were killed on both 
sides, but the Dutch were victorious. The dead bodies 
were buried at a place called Strickland's Plain, and one 
hundred years afterwards the graves were still to be seen. 

5. There were some disputes between the people of 
New England and those of New York about the boundary 
of their territories. At length the Dutch governor went 
to Hartford, where he met some people sent by the New 
England colonies, and they came to an agreement about 
the land. But King Charles of England said that the 
Dutch had no right to any of the land, and granted the 
country to his brother, the Duke of York and Albany. 

6. In 1664 the duke sent Colonel NichoUs with three 
ships to New York. Oil his arrival he commanded the 

3 



26 FIKST LKSSO-NS IN ULSTOKY. 

people to surrender the town. They refused at first, but 
in a little whUe they gave it up, and he took possession 
of it. The name of this place, ^Yllich was before called 
Manhattan, was then changed to New York, and the place 
on the Hudson where the iirst settlement was made, which 
had been called Fort Orange, was called Albany. These 
names have since been retamed. 

7. In 1673 the city of New York was retaken by the 
Dutch. The fort and city were suiTendered by the treach- 
ery of John Manning, the commanding officer, without 
fii-ing a gun. The next year peace was concluded be- 
tween England and Plolland, and the colony was restored 
to the English. 

8. The Duke of York and Albany, the former proprie- 
tor, now came again into possession of the colony, and 
sent Sir Edmund Andros, afterwards the tyrant of New 
England, to govern it. He w'as succeeded by other gov- 
ernors ; and in 1682 the people were permitted to meet 
and choose representatives. 

9. These representatives assembled and made laws, 
which could not go into force till they were ratified by 
the duke. This arrangement was satisfactory to the peo- 
ple, and the colony now felt the blessings of good govern- 
ment. 

10. In the year 1685 the Duke of York succeeded h?s 
brother, Charles II., and became lung of England, under 
the title of James II. This king was hated by the English 
people, and he was equally disliked in the colonies. lie 
claimed absolute authority over the American peopfe. 
This caused him to be much disliked by them. They 
were therefore very much rejoiced when the news came, 
in 1689 that he had been diiven from the throne, and 
that William, Prince of Orange, had succeeded him. 

11. Elated by this news, and stimulated by the exam- 



SETTLEMENTS. 1<K^Y TORK. 27 

pie of the people at Boston, "wlio had seized and impris- 
oned Andros, they began to make preparations to depose 
the governor, whose name Avas Nicholson. Alarmed at 
this, he fled by night, and the chief magistracy was as- 
sumed by a militia captain, whose name was Leisler. He 
was a weak man, and managed the aflairs of the colony 
very badly. 

12. Wliilc the settlement was suffering from the troubles 
occasioned by Leisler's administration, war was declared 
between England and France, and it extended to the 
French and English colonies in this country. It is known 
in history as King William's war, the principal incidents 
of which will be related in the history of New England. 

13. Count Frontenac was at this time governor of 
Canada. In the winter of 161)0 he sent a party of French 
soldiers and Indians to attack Albany. They concluded 
to destroy Schenectady first. The people of Schenectady 
had been warned of their danger ; but they would not 
believe that men would come from Canada, a distance of 
two or thi'ee hundred miles, through the deep snows of 
winter, to molest them. 

14. They were, hovrever, fatally deceived. On a Sat- 
urday night the enemy came near the town. They di- 
vided themselves into sma,il parties, so that every house 
miglit be attacked at the same instant. Thus prepared, 
tliey entered the place at about eleven o'clock. The 
inhabitants were all asleep, and stillness rested upon the 
place. With a noiseless step, the enemy distributed them- 
selves through the village, and at a given signal the 
savage war Avhoop Avas sounded. What a dreadful cry 
was this to the startled fathers and mothers of this unhappy 
town ! 

15. It is scarcely possible to describe the scene that 
followed. The people, conscious of their danger, sprang 



28 FIRST LESSONS IX HISTORY. 

from their beds, but wore met at the door, and slaughtered 
by the savages. Every house was set on fire ; and the 
Indians, rendered frantic by the wild scene, ran through 
the place, slaying those they chanced to meet. Sixty of 
the people were killed, and twenty-five were made prison- 
ers. Some attempted to escape ; but as they were naked, 
and the weather was extremely severe, and as they had a 
considerable distance to go before they could reach a place 
of security, a part only arrived in safety, while twenty- 
five lost their limbs by the cold. 

16. To avenge these cruelties, and others of a similar 
nature committed in New England, an attack upon Canada 
Avas determined upon. An army, raised in New York 
and Connecticut, proceeded as far as Lake Champlain ; 
but finding no boats to take them across, they were obliged 
to return. Thus the whole expedition failed, and this was 
attributed to the imbecility of Leisler. 

17. It was about this time that King "William sent 
Colonel Henry Sloughter to be governor of New York. 
But he was totally unfit for the ofiice. When he arrived, 
Leisler refused to give up his authority. He sent two 
messengers, however, to confer with Sloughter, who were 
immediately seized by the governor, and put in prison as 
rebels. This alarmed Leisler and his associates, and they 
attempted to escape. But he, with his son-in-law Mil- 
borne, was taken, tried, and condemned to death, for high 
treason. The governor, however, refused to sign the war- 
rant for their execution, as he did not wish to sacrifice 
two men who had been rather Aveak than wicked. 

18. But the enemies of Leisler and Milborne contrived 
a plot for their destruction. They made a great feast, and 
invited Governor Sloughter to go and partake of it. He 
went ; and when he was intoxicated with wine, they asked 
him to sign the death warrant of the two prisoners. This 



SETTLKMEXTS. NEAT YOEK. 29 

lie did, and before lie Lad recovered liis senses, Leisler 
and Milborne were executed. Thus, through his folly 
and wickedness, two men suffered an ignominious death. 

19. In 1G91 Governor Sloughter died. The same 
year a man by the name of Peter Schuyler, at the head 
of three hundred Mohawk Indians, went to make an attack 
upon the French settlements at the north end of Lake 
Champlain. A body of about eight hundi-ed men were 
sent from Montreal against him. With these Schuyler 
and his Mohawks had several battles, in all of which 
they were successful. They killed more of the enemy 
than the whole number of their party. 

20. In 1692 Colonel Fletcher was made governor of 
New York, and in 1698 he was succeeded by the Earl 
of Bellamont. About this time the American seas were 
very much infested with pirates. These bold men at- 
tacked such ships as they met with on the ocean, plundered 
them of whatever they wanted, and either murdered the 
crew and took the ships, or sank them both together. 

21. Governor Bellamont was joarticularly charged by 
the English government to clear the American seas, if 
possible, of these desperate men. But the necessary ships 
not being furnished, he and some other individuals deter- 
mmed to fit out a vessel on their own account, and send 
it against the jjirates. They accordingly procured a ship 
of war, and gave the command of it to a sea captain, 
whose name was Robert Kidd. But when he got out 
upon the water, Kidd determined to become a pirate him- 
self. He proposed the plan to his men, and they con- 
sented to it. 

22. Kidd became one of the most infamous pirates that 
was ever known. He attacked many vessels upon the 
Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and after three years returned. 
After burning his ship, Kidd went to Boston, where he 

3 * 



30 FIRST LESSONS IN IITSTORT. 

was seen in the streets. He was soon seized and carried 
to England, where he was tried, condemned, and executed. 
A great many stories have been told about Captain Kidd. 
It is said that he buried a great deal of gold, in pots, 
somewhere along the coast, and a great many attempts 
have been made to find this gold, but without success ; 
but Kidd and his sailors probably spent all the money so 
wickedly got, and never buried any of it. 

23. Several governors were sent over from England 
from time to time, but most of them were unworthy of 
the office. In 1743 George Clinton was sent over as 
governor, and was warmly received by the people. His 
administration was, on the whole, acceptable to them. In 
1745, during the war of George II.,' New York was much 
distressed by the incursions of the Lidians. Saratoga was 
destroyed, and other parts of the colony suffered very 
much. Some of the Indians came to Albany, and con- 
cealing themselves in the neighborhood, lay in wait to 
take prisoners. One savage, bolder than the rest, called 
Tolmonwilemon, came within the city itself, and carried 
off peojile by night. 

24. In 174G New York united with the eastern colo- 
nies in an expedition against Canada ; but the project 
totally failed. In 1748 the welcome news of peace be- 
tween England and France arrived, and the colony was 
relieved from the distresses brought upon them by the war. 



' Charles VI., Emperor of Germany, died in 1740, and was succeeded 
in his dominions by his daui^hter, Maria Theresa, who was married to 
Francis of Lorraine. Charles, Elector of Bavaria, asserted his claims 
to the throne, and, by the aid of Louis XV., was elected emperor. 
This gave rise to a war whii>h involved the principal states of Europe, 
called the war of the Austrian succession. It extended to the French 
and English colonies in America, and in this country was called the 
war of George II. 



SETTLEMENTS. PLYMOUTII COLONY. 31 

25. We have now related the principal events in the 
history of New York up to the time of the French war, 
which commenced in 1755. From that time the colonies 
acted in concert ; and we shall therefore leave the sepa- 
rate history of New York here, and give a view of what 
remains to be said of it in the general account of the 
French war and the American revolution. 



IV. — SETTLEMENTS. 



PLYMOUTH COLONY; COLONY OF MASSACHUSETTS BAY; 
MAINE ; NEW HAMPSHIRE ; CONNECTICUT ; RHODE 



ISLAND ; VERMONT 



1. More than tAvo hundred years ago there were in 
England a great many people called Puritans. They 
were not happy in England, for they had peculiar opinions 
about religion. They were cruelly treated, and some of 
them at length fled from the country. They went first 
to Holland, but finally they concluded to go to America. 

2. They set out in two vessels, but one of them was 
leaky, and went back. They all entered the other ship, 
and after a long and stormy passage they reached a broad 
harbor. They then sent some people ashore, to examine 
the country. These found some Indian corn in baskets, 
buried in the sand. They also discovered Indian burial- 
places, surrounded by sticks stuck in the ground. 

3. One night the exploring party built a fire in the 
woods, and slept by the side of it. In the morning, some 
arrows, pointed with eagles' claws and sharp pieces of 
deer's horns, fell among them. These were sent by some 
Indians who came to attack them. The white men fired 



."2 FIRST LESSON'S IN IIISTORT. 

their guns at tlicra, and the Indians ran off in great 
akirra. At this time the savages had no guns, and they 
imagined that tlie fire of the musket was lightning, and 
the report thunder. No wonder they were afraid of people 
who, as they believed, made use of thunder and lightning. 
4. Having examined the shores, the emigrants pitched 
upon a place where they concluded to settle. December 
22, 1G20, they landed on a rock there, and called the place 
Plymouth. It was winter when they arrived, and the 




Landing of the Pilgrims. 

country had a most dreary aspect. There were no houses 
to receive them ; there were no friends to welcome them-; 
there was nothing before them but a gloomy forest, inhab- 
ited by savages and wild beasts. There was nolliing 
behind them but the vast ocean rolling between them and 
their native land. This little colony consisted of one 
hundred persons. Tliey were divided into nineteen fami- 
lies, and each family built itself a log house. 

5. For some time the settlers were not visited by any 



N°2 




SETTLEMENTS. — COLONY OF MASSACHUSETTS BAY. 33 

of the Indians. They saw a few soon after their landing ; 
but these ran away, as if they were veiy much frightened. 
One day, however, an Indian came among them, saying, in 
English, " Welcome, Englishmen ! Welcome, Englishmen ! " 

6. This surprised the white people very much. The 
Indian told them that his name was Samoset, and that he 
had learned to speak English of the fishermen he had seen 
upon the coast. 

7. After some time an Indian chief, called Massasoit, 
came near to the settlement, with some of his men. He 
was a sort of king, and ruled over several tribes. He was 
at first afraid to go down into the village, but by and by he 
went down, and the people saluted him with a drum and 
fife, which he liked very much. Then he went into the 
governor's house, where he ate a very hearty dinner, and 
drank a prodigious draught of rum. He then made a 
treaty with the white people, and agreed to be at peace 
with them. Tliis treaty he and his tribe kept faithfully for 
many years. 

8. The settlers found their situation extremely uncom- 
fortable. The winter was very severe, their houses were 
miserable, and they were destitute of all those conven- 
iences which they had been accustomed to enjoy in Eng- 
land. Borne down with suffering, many of them were taken 
sick ; and when the spring ai-rived, half of their number 
had died. Notwithstanding these discouraging circum- 
stances, other persons came out from England and joined 
the settlers, so that, in ten years after, the whole number 
amounted to about three hundi-ed. 

9. In 1628 the settlement of a new colony was com- 
menced at Salem, called the colony of Massachusetts 
Bay; and in the year 1630 more tlian fifteen hundred 
persons came from England, and settled at Boston, Dor- 
chester, Salem, and other places in the vicinity. These 



34 FIRST LKS::ONrf IN IIISTOKY. 

people were nearly all l'in-itari>, but nuuiy of tlieni pos- 
sessed wealtli, and had been brouglit up in a very delicate 
manner. Their sole object in coming to America was to 
enjoy their religious opinions without restraint. But they 
had not foreseen the sufferings that were before them. 

10. The winter set in with unu.^ual severity. The snow 
fell to a great depth, and the cold became intense. Assem- 
bled in log houses, which afforded but a poor shelter from 
the driving blasts, the emigrants had to endure hunger as 
well as cold. Their stock of provisions became nearly 
ex'.uuisted, and many of them were compelled to subsist on 
clams, muscles, nuts, and acorns. 

11. Unable to sustain these ju-ivations, many of them 
died. Among these was one woman whose fate has always 
excited peculiar sympathy. This was Lady Arabella John- 
son. Her father was a rich man in England, and she had 
been brought up in the enjoyment of every luxury. But 
in America she was deprived of the common comforts of 
life. Iler delicate frame could not endure these trials. 
Although her husband came with her, and great care and 
kindness were bestowed upon lier, yet in about a montli 
after her arrival she died. 

12. Such were the sufferings that attended the fii-st set- 
tlers in New England. Yet these were sustained with the 
utmost fortitude. Those who died left a state of sorrow, 
in the consciousness of having done their duty, and the 
strong hope of entering a state of peace beyond the grave. 
Those who lived prayed to Heaven for strength to support 
them in their troubles, and their prayers seemed to Ije 
answered. Tims prepared for life or death, they continued 
to struggle with their misfortunes, with a degree of firm- 
ness which we cannot fail to admire. 

13. The settlement at Plymouth was the first perma- 
nent English settlement in New England. Tlie colony of 



SETTLEMENTS. MAINE, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ETC. OO 

Massachusetts was so named from a native Indian tribe. 
This colony increased much more rapidly than Plymouth. 
Such favorable accounts were given of it in England, that 
many persons of distinction came from that country and 
settled in Boston and other parts of the colony. Among 
these was Sir Henry Vane. He was but twenty-five years 
old when he arrived ; but he was so grave that he won the 
hearts of the people, and they made him governor. 

14. In the year 1623 the first permanent settlement 
•was made in Maine, at Saco. In 1652 Maine was united 

to Massachusetts, and continued to form a part of it until 
1820, when it was made a separate state. The first set- 
tlement in New Hampshire was also made in "1623. . It 
was united to Massachusetts in 1641 ; but in 1679 it was 
made a royal province by order of the King of England. 
In the year 1635 the first settlement was made in Con- 
necticut. In 1636 Roger Williams, having been banished 
from Massachusetts, settled in Rhode Island. In 1638 
a settlement was made at New Haven, which was after- 
wards called the colony of New Haven. Vermont was 
not settled till 1724. 

15. For a long time the Indians did not molest the 
inhabitants of the Plymouth and Massachusetts colonies. 
The treaty made with Massasoit, as before stated, was 
faithfully observed by them ; but the Pequods, who lived 
in Connecticut, troubled the people there very much. In 
1637 they killed three men at Saybrook, and at Weathers- 
field they killed six men, three women, and twenty cows. 

16. These things caused great alarm. Consequently 
some of the people met at Hartford to consider what 
should be done. It was determined to send a body of 
men against the Indians. About ninety white men and 
seventy friendly Indians were soon assembled. They 
were all placed under the command of Captain Mason. 



36 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

They entered some boats at Hai-tford, and went down the 
Connecticut River to Saybrook. Here they resolved to 
make a sudden attack upon Mystic, an Indian fort, situated 
where Stonington now stands. This was one of the pi'in- 
cipal places belonging to the Indians. 

17. They reached the spot about daybreak. The Pe- 
quods had no suspicion that an enemy was near. But by 
and by a dog barked, and then one of the Indians, who 
saw the white men, gave the alann. At this instant the 
soldiers tired upon the Indians. Many of the savages were 
killed ; but very soon the rest recovered from theii' aston- 
ishment, and then they fought bravely. 

18. They shot their arrows and guns at the white men, 
and hurled stones and sticks at them with the greatest 
fury. The Indians were far more numerous than the 
white men, and the latter were at lengtli nearly exhausted. 
At tins moment Captain Maaon ordered their fort to be 
set on fire. The tlames caught quickly, and spreading 
I'rom wigwam to wigwam, soon set them all in a blaze. It 
was an awful scene, and the struggle was soon terminated. 
Seventy wigwams were reduced to ashes, and six or 
seven hundred Lidians were killed, either Dy the bullets 
or the fire. 

19. This dreadful event alarmed the Pequods, and they 
fled, with their chief, Sassacus, to the west. They were 
followed by the white men, who overtook tliem in a swanq) 
near Fairfield. Here a battle was fought, and the Indians 
were entirely defeated. This was followed by a ti'eaty 
Avith the remaining Indians, and the Pequods gave the 
colonies no more trouble. 

20. In 1643 the four colonies of Pljinouth, Massachu- 
setts, Connecticut, and New Haven entered into an agree- 
ment for purposes of mutual defence. They were led to 
do this by fear of the Indians, who were now very un- 



SETTLEMENTS. KING PHILIP's WAR. 37 

friendly, and who watched every oj^portvuiity to do the 
white people mischief. 

21. We now approach a period of great interest in the 
history of New England. The Indians perceived that the 
English were rapidly increasing in numbers, while they 
themselves were as fast diminishing. They foresaw that 
in a short time the English colonies would overspread the 
whole land, while they should themselves be driven back 
into the wilderness. This excited their jealousy, and led 
them bitterly to hate the English. Besides this, quan-els 
occasionally arose between the white inhabitants and the 
savages. Whether these originated with the English or 
the Indians, the latter were always sure to be thought 
in the wrong, and were punished by the white people 
accordingly. 

22. In short, the Indians had discovered that the Eng- 
lish, being wiser and more artful than they, were likely 
soon to become their masters ; and the hatred thus excited 
was aggi-avated by acts of injustice and oppression, com- 
mitted on the part of the English towards the savages. 

23. There lived, about this time, in Rhode Island, an 
Indian, Avho was called King Philip by the English. He 
was chief of the Wampanoags, and lived at Mount Hope, 
near Bristol. The country was then called Pokanoket. 
Philip, being a man of great sagacity, saw that unless the 
English colonies were checked, the Indians would, in the 
course of a few years, cease to exist as independent tribes. 
After reflecting upon • these things, he resolved to make 
one gi'eat effort to drive the English from the land, and 
free his country from such dangerous intruders. 

24. Accordingly he visited, in secret, several of the 
tribes in New England. He conversed with the chiefs, 
and told them that if they remained inactive, in a few 
years the beautiful rivers, and hills, and forests, which 

4 



38 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

had descended from their fathers, would cease to be their 
inheritance. lie described the English as crafty, long- 
sighted, and greedy, who added township to township, and 
colony to colony, and who would never be content until 
they possessed every foot of land east of the Hudson. 

25. He prophesied the gradual decrease, and the final 
extinction, of all those tribes who once reigned over the 
whole land. He told them that their foi-ests would be 
cut down, that their hunting grounds would be soon taken 
from them, that their warriors would be slain, their chil- 
dren wander forth in poverty, their chiefs be beggars, and 
their tribes be scattered and lost like the autumn leaves. 
To remedy these evils, Philip projjosed that a mighty 
effort should be made, by all the ti-ibes in New England, 
to destroy the English. He had little difficulty in bring- 
ing the chiefs into his schemes. A general effijrt was 
agreed upon, and soon the war began. 

26. In June, 1675, as the people of Swanzey, in Plym- 
outh colony, were returning home from church, a sudden 
attack Avas made by some Indians upon them. At this 
period, the Indians were suj)plied with muskets, powder, 
and ball, and they had learned to use firearms with con- 
siderable skill. In a few moments, therefore, eight or nine 
of the inhabitants of Swanzey were killed. The country 
was immediately alarmed, and the people flew to the suc- 
cor of the inhabitants from all quarters. An attack was 
made upon the Indians the next morning, and several of 
them were killed. 

27. This resolute conduct awed the Indians ; and Philip 
himself, expecting an attack, fled from Mount Hope with 
his warriors. It was soon ascertained that they had gone 
to a swamp in Pocasset, now Tiverton. The white people 
followed them thither, and entering the swamp, pursued 
them till night. They were then obliged to retreat. The 



SETTLEMENTS. KING THILIP'S WAK. 39 

English, finding it impossible to encounter the enemy in 
the swamp, determined to surround it, and starve them out. 
But Philip guessed their design, and privately stole away 
with his men. 

28. In all parts of New England the Indians seemed 
to be moved by a spirit of deadly revenge. They set the 
town of Springfield on fire, and no less than thirty houses 
were consumed. About eighty young men were attacked 
at Muddy Brook, as they were employed in transporting 
some grain from Deertield to Hadley. They had no idea 
that an enemy Avas at hand. They had stopped a moment 
with their teams, and were gathering some grapes by the 
roadside. Sudden as the thunderbolt, the savage yell 
broke upon their ears. They w^ere immediately sur- 
rounded by the Indians ; and having no arms, they were 
incapable of defence. Seventy of them were shot down, 
and these were all buried in one grave. 

29. In New Hampshire and Maine, the Indians fell 
upon the towns, set the houses on fire, and killed the in- 
habitants. At vSaco, Dover, Exeter, and other places, they 
committed the most dreadful outrages. In Massachusetts, 
they attacked Quaboag, now Brookfield, and burned all 
the houses except one, in which the inhabitants had taken 
refuge. This they also assailed ; and for two days, inces- 
santly, they poured their musket shot upon it. A great 
multitude of balls passed tlu-ough the sides of the house, 
but only one person in it was killed. 

30. Finding it impossible to destroy the people in this 
way, they attempted to set fire to the house. With long 
poles, they thrust against it firebrands, and rags dipped in 
brimstone. They shot arrows of fii-e upon it, and finally 
they loaded a cart with flax and tow, set it on fire, and 
pushed it against the house. The curling flame was soon 
communicated to the building ; and now, feeling certain of 



40 



FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 



their prey, the savages took their station so that they might 
cut down those who shouhl attempt to escape. But in this 
moment of peril, the white men were saved, as if by the 




Indians setting fire to a houso at Brookfield. 

hand of Heaven. A sudden shower fell upon the flames, 
and at once extinguished them. Soon after, Major "Wil- 
lard, with some soldiers, came to their relief. He attacked 
the Indians, killed a number of them, and the rest fled. 

31. At length it Avas thought necessary to humble the 
Narragansetts. They were a powerful tribe in llhodc 
Island, and occupied a fort of great strength. Near two 
thousand white men went against them. The fort was 
built on a hill in the centre of a swamp, and in it there 
were four thousand Indian warriors. There was but one 
entrance to the fort. This was accidentally discovered by 
the white men, and they gallantly rushed in to attack the 
enemy. But the Indians met them, and many of the 
English w^ere killed. They were at length obliged to re- 
treat ; but by and by some Connecticut troops entered 



SETTLEMENTS. KING PITILTP's WAR. 41 

the fort on the opposite side, and at the same moment the 
attack was vigorously renewed at the entrance. 

32. The Indians were now cut down with dreadful 
slaughter. The fort was taken, and six hundred wigwams 
were set on fire, and burned to the ground. More than 
one thousand of the Indian warriors were killed, and three 
hundred were taken prisoners. 

33. Such were some of the events of this remarkable 
war. For near two years, almost every part of New Eng- 
land Avas a scene of bloodshed. But although the Indians 
killed great numbers of white people, yet their own loss 
was far greater. In truth, they never recovered from the 
many reverses which they experienced. Although there 
were, perhaps, ten times as many of them as of the white 
people, yet such were the superior skill and management 
of the latter, that the Indians were effectually defeated, 
and their power in New England was finally overthrown. 

Si. At length the war was closed by the death of Pliilip. 
He was found in a swamp near Mount Hope, with several 
other Indians. Captain Church, with a few white men, 
surrounded the swamp at night. When the morning came, 
Philip, perceiving that he could not escape, rushed towards 
the spot where some of the white men lay. An English 
soldier levelled his gun, but it missed fire. An Indian, 
who was of the party, took deliberate aim, and shot the 
chief through the heart. Thus fell the most celebrated 
of all the Indian chiefs. From this time, the Indians, 
finding further resistance vain, began to submit to the 
English. The struggle was continued a while in Maine ; 
but that soon ended, and no general effort was ever after 
made, on the part of the Indians, to subdue the English. 

35. This war continued from the year 1675 till 1G78. 
About six hundred white men Avere killed in the struggle, 
thirteen towns were destroyed, and six hlnulred dwelling 
4 * 



42 FmST LESSONS IN niSTORT. 

houses burned. These were dreadful losses to the poor col- 
onists, but the unhappy Indians suffered still more. Their 
chiefs and their principal men were nearly all killed ; their 
wigwams were burned ; they were driven from their homes ; 
and now, defeated and subdued, their situation was one 
which may well excite our pity. Savage life, in its hap- 
piest state, is a miserable condition ; but the New England 
Indians had now lost their independence, and all that sav- 
ages hold most dear. From that period they rapidly 
diminished. Most of the tribes are now extinct, and a few 
hundreds are all that remain of a mighty people, that once 
threatened to drive our forefathers from this land. 

86. Soon after Philip's war, the colonies began to be 
involved in dilliculty with England. The King of Eng- 
land claimed these colonies as his ovra, and he, with the 
Parliament, made certain laws respecting trade and com- 
merce with America. 

37. Now it was pretended that the colonies had violated 
these laws, and therefore the. king determined to take 
away their charters. These charters were of great impor- 
tance, for they gave the colonies many privileges. The 
king who reigned in England at the time was James II. 
In the year 1686 he sent Sir Edmund Andros over to 
this country, to take away the charters of all the Nf w 
England colonies except Plymoutli. 

38. He also appointed Sir Edmund governor over all 
the colonies whose charters he thus proposed to take away. 
Accordingly he came. The charter of Connecticut was 
hid in an oak tree ; but Sir Edmund assumed the govern- 
ment of the New England colonies, although he could not 
find that charter. 

39. At first he governed the people pretty well ; but 
by and by lie did many tilings which displeased them very 
much. Many unjust and oppressive laws were passed, 



SETTLEMENTS. "WITCHCRAFT. 43 

and the people saw that Sir Edmund had no regard to 
their happiness and prosperity in his administration. 

40. Sir Edmund began to rule in 1686. Two years 
after, the news arrived that James II., King of England, 
had become so unpopular as to be obliged to leave the 
country, and that a new king, William III., had taken his 
place on the throne. This news gave the colonies great 
joy, for they hated James II. on account of his conduct 
towai-ds them, and especially on account of the governor, 
Sir Edmund Andi'os, whom he had sent to rule over them. 
Under the excitement of this joy, the people of Boston 
seized Sir Edmund and about fifty of his associates, and 
put them in prison. There they remained for some time ; 
they were then sent to England, to be tried for their mis- 
conduct. 

41. A strange delusion arose in relation to witchcraft. 
In the year 1692, two children of Mr. Parris, a minister 
in Salem, Massachusetts, were taken sick. They were 
affected in a very singular manner, and the physicians 
were sent for. They were at a loss to account for the dis- 
order, and one of them finally said they must be be- 
witched. 

42. The children, hearing this, and being in gi'eat dis- 
tress, declared that an Indian Avoman, living in the house, 
had bewitched them. Mr. Parris believed what the chil- 
dren said ; the Indian woman Avas accused of the crime, 
and in a state of agitation and alarm, partially confessed 
herself guilty. This affair excited great attention ; many 
people came to see these little children, and they were 
very much pitied. 

43. By and by other children imagined that they were 
aflected in a similar manner, and they said that they were 
secretly tormented by an old woman in the neighborhood. 
All those things were believed, and more children and 



44 FIRST LKSSOXS IN HISTORY. 

several women soon declared themselves bewitched. They 
charged several persons Avith being the authors of their 
distress. They pretended that these persons entered their 
rooms through keyholes, or cracks in the window, pinched 
their flesh, pricked them with needles, and tormented 
them in the most cruel manner. Nobody could see these 
tormentors but the sufferers themselves, although several 
persons might be in the room where one of the bewitched 
Avas wailing and shrieking, from the pinches of the witch. 

44. Strange as it may seem, this matter, instead of being 
regarded as a delusion, was thought to be founded in real- 
ity. The people in those days believed that the devil 
sometimes gave to certain persons great power for purposes 
of evih These persons were said to deal with the devil, 
and they were considered very wicked. 

45. The business they were supposed to caiTy on with 
him was called witchcraft, and any person under tlieir influ- 
ence was said to be bewitched. In England, Parliament 
had thought it necessary to make severe laws against 
witchcraft. Several persons there had been condemned 
and executed under those laws. It was now thought 
proper to proceed in a similar manner at Salem. Accord- 
ingly, those persons accused of practising witchcraft upon 
their neighbors were put in prison, and a court was formed 
to try them. 

46. Many of them were examined and found guilty, 
and some, under the influence of a distempered imagina- 
tion, confessed that they were guilty. The business at 
length reached a very alarming height. Nineteen persons 
had been executed, one hundred and fifty were in prison, 
and many more were accused. 

47. In this state of things, the people began to doubt 
the correctness of their proceedings. They examined the 
subject more careiully, and were very soon satisfied that 



SETTLEMENTS. WILLIAM. 45 

they had acted rashly. The judges of the court also 
began to take diiferent views of the suljject. Those who 
were brought to trial were therefore acquitted, and those 
in prison were released. 

48. Thus ended this extraordinary delusion. We at 
the present day, who know that there is no such thing as 
witchcraft, cannot but wonder that our ancestors should 
have believed in it, and that many persons should have 
been hanged for a crime that was only imaginary. But we 
should remember that it was a common error of that age. 
It was not an invention of their own. They received 
their notions from England, and it was natural that they 
should act agreeably to them. "VVe must do them the 
justice to say, however, that they very soon discovered 
their error, and expressed their sorrow for it. 

49. Soon after the accession of William III. to the 
throne of England, a w^ar broke out between that country 
and France. At this time the French had several settle- 
ments in Canada, extending along the River St. Lawrence, 
and including Montreal and Quebec. They had also sev- 
eral forts on Lake Champlain and Lake George. The 
war between France and England, in Europe, of course 
extended to their American colonies. The French from 
Canada, assisted by large numbers of Indians, invaded 
several parts of New England, burned the houses of the 
inhabitants, killed many of the people, and carried large 
numbers of men, women, and children into captivity. The 
cruelties practised almost exceed belief. Towns were at- 
tacked at midnight, and in midwinter ; the people were 
often killed in their beds, and those whose lives were 
spared were torn from their homes, and obliged to endure 
sufferings worse than death. 

50. In the spring of 1G97 a party of Indians made an 
attack on the to\\Ti of Haverhill, Massachusetts. Among 



46 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

the people of that town was a Mr. Dustan. He was in 
a field at work when the news of the attack reached his 
ears. He immediately started and ran to his house to 
save his family. He had seven children, and these he 
collected for the purpose of taking them to a place of 
safety before the Indians should arrive. His wife was 
sick, and she had an infant but a week old. He now hur- 
ried to her, but before she could get ready to leave the 
house, Mr. Dustan perceived tliat a party of the savages 
were already close to his dwelling. Expecting that all 
would be slain, he ran to the door and mounted his horse, 
and telling the children to run forward, he placed him- 
self between them and the Indians. The savages dis- 
charged their guns at him, but did not hit him. He had 
a gun too, and he fired back at them. 

51. He then hurried his children along, loaded his gun 
as he went, and fired at his pursuers. Thus he pro- 
ceeded for more tlian a mile, protecting his little family, 
defending himself, and keeping the enemy at a distance. 
At length he reached a place of safety, and there, with 
feelings of joy which cannot be described, he placed his 
children beyond the reach of the Indians. 

52. But Mrs. Dustan was destined to undergo the 
severest trials. Although she was very ill, the savages 
compelled her, with the nurse and her httle infant, to go 
home with them, a distance of one hundred and fifty 
miles. It was winter, and the journey was to be per- 
formed on foot through the wilderness. 

53. Mrs. Dustan and the nurse were soon overcome 
with fatigue. The Indians, perceiving that the little infant 
occupied much of their attention, snatched it from the 
mother, and killed the Httle innocent by striking it against 
a tree. After a toilsome march and the greatest suffering, 
Mrs. Dustan and lier companion completed the journey. 



SETTLEMENTS. QUEEN ANNE's "WAR. 47 

54. But now the Indians concluded to remove ..o a 
distant place, and these two women were forced to accom- 
pany them. When they reached the end of their journey, 
they discovered they were to undergo severe torture. 
They therefore determined, if possible, to make their es- 
cape. One night, Mrs. Dustan, the nurse, and a white 
boy rose secretly while the Indians were asleep. There 
were twelve of them in the wigwam where they were. 
These the women killed with their own hands, and then 
departed. After wandering a long time in the woods they 
reached Haverhill, and Mrs. Dustan was restored to her 
family. 

55. A few years after King "William's war, another war 
occurred between England and France, which also ex- 
tended to the colonies in this country, and occasioned great 
distress. It was called Queen Anne's war.' This war 
commenced in 1702, and the French and Indians imme- 
diately invaded New England. In 1704 a party of French 
and Indians made an attack on Deerfield. It was at night, 
and in the midst of winter. All the peoule were asleep ; 
they had no fear that an enemy was at hand. The sud- 
den yell of the savages burst on their ears, and they then 
knew the dreadful scene that was coming. 

SC). The town was set on fire, forty-seven of the people 
were killed, and one hundred men, women, and children 
were carried into captivity. Among these were Mr. Wil- 
liams, a clergyman, and his wife and five children. They 
set out on foot, and began their journey through the snow. 
On the second day Mrs. Williams, who was in bad health, 

' England, Holland, and Germany formed an alliance against France 
in 1701, to prevent the union of France and Spain. The war which 
followed in 1702 is known in English histories by the name of " the 
war of the Spanish succession." In this country it was called " Queen 
Anne's war." 



48 FIRST LESSOXS IN HISTORY. 

was very weary, and unable to keep up with the rest. Her 
husband was not allowed to assist her, and she seemed to 
be on the point of fainting from weakness and fatigue* 
At this time one of the Indians came up to her and 
killed her. 

57. The other party then went on, but seventeen otheir 
persons were killed by the savages before they arrived in 
Canada. Mr. Williams was kindly treated by the French 
people there, and after two years he returned, with fifty- 
seven other captives, to Deerfield. He was minister of 
that town for twelve years after his return, and then died. 
This story afibrds a fair example of the cruelties of this 
war. It continued till the year 1713, when the French 
and English made peace with each other in Europe, and 
the war ceased there, and in the colonies also. From this 
time Nova Scotia and Newfoundland belonged to the 
EngUsh. Canada still belonged to the French, and con- 
tinued so till it was ceded to the British in 1763. ; 

58. About the year 1722 the Indian tribes in MaineJ 
and along the e^ern and northern border, made war upon! 
the English semers. These Indians often attacked the! 
people in Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, andj 
annoyed thera very much. But in 1725 this war ceased. ' 

59. In 1741 England and France were again involved 
in strife. George II. was then King of England, and this! 
war is called King George's war, or the war of the Aus-' 
trian succession. The most imjwrtant event to New Eng- 
land that took place during this period was the capturei 
of Louisburg. This was a very strongly fortified town 
1)clonging to the French, on the Island of Cape Breton, 
in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. • Here they kept many 
ships, and in time of war these drove away the English 
and American sailors who went to the banks of New- 
foundland to catch codfish. To take Louisburg was, there- 



N?3. 




SETTLEMENTS. 



CAPTURE OF LOUISBURG. 



49 



fore, a great object. To accomplisli this the colonies 
united, and sent about four thousand three hundred men 
against it, under the command of Sir WilHam Pepperelh 
They went in twelve ships and some smaller vessels. 

GO. They arrived at Louisburg the last of April, 1745. 
They were occupied fourteen days in drawing their cannon 
across a swamp, so as to bring them near the town. They 
then besieged it ; that is, they surrounded it both by land 




Suldiers di'agging cannon across the morass. 



and water. They also made frequent attacks upon the 
soldiers in the forts. This continued till the 15th June, 
when the F'rench commander requested them to stop, and 
on the 17th he surrendered the place into the hands of the 
Americans. Thus Louisburg and the Island of Cape 
Breton came into the possession of the English. 

61. In 1748 France and England again made peace, 
and the colonies once more enjoyed tranquillity. But this 
did npt last long. A still more extensive and important 
5 



50 FIRST LESSOXS IN HISTORY. 

war was at hand. It commenced in 1755, and it is 
called in this country the French and Indian war, an ac- 
count of which will be given hereafter. 



v. — SETTLEMENTS, CONCLUDED. 

NEAV JERSEY, DELAWARE, MARYLAND, PEXXSYLVAXIA, 
CAKOLINAS, AND GEORGIA. 

1. The first settlement in New Jer?ey was made by 
the Dutch in 1623, and soon after, other settlements were 
commenced by Dutch and Swedes ; but it did not receive 
the name of Jersey until 1064, when it was conquei'cd* 
from the Dutch by the EngH.-h. Sir George Carteret was 
one of the proprietors, and the colony received the name 
of Jersey, in compliment to him, as he was governor 
of the Island of Jersey, on the northern coast of France. 
In 1G76 the jjrovince was divided into Ivist and West 
Jersey, and so continued until 1702. The government 
was then surrendered to Queen Anne of England, and 
East and West Jersey were united, under the title of 
New Jersey. 

2. The settlement of Delaware was commenced at Cape 
Henlopen, in 1G27, by some Swedes and Fins. It was a 
beautiful spot, covered with green trees, beneath which 
sported the wild deer, with their young fawns. The people 
were so charmed with the place that they called it Para- 
dise Point. They now proceeded farther up the bay, and 
had some intercourse with the Indians. The latter treated 
them kindly, and sold them land on both sides of the 
w^ater. The settlers now established themselves near 
Wilmington, and called the country New Sweden. 

3. But the colony was not permitted to enjoy its fine 



SETTLEMENTS. DELAWARE. 51 

lands and delightful climate in peace. The Dutch claimed 
the territoiy, and after annoying them in various ways, 
finally built a fort at New Castle. A man by the name 
of Risingh was then governor of the Swedish colony. 
One day he proposed to the commander of the Dutch 
fort to pay him a friendly visit. This was accepted, and 
Risingh went, accompanied by thirty men. They were 
received with kindness anil treated with great hospitality. 
But, disregarding this, they treacherously took possession 
of the fort, and made prisoners of the garrison. 

4. The governor of New York at this time was Peter 
Stuyvesant, whom history describes as possessing a pretty 
hot temper. Such a man was not likely to permit the 
treachery of Risingh to go unavenged. So he fitted out 
an armament, which went against the Swedes in several 
vessels, in the year 1655. The Dutch were victorious, 
and having taken the Swedish forts, they allowed a few of 
the inhabitants to remain, and sent the rest prisoners to 
Holland. The settlement continued in the hands of the 
Dutch till 1664, when it came into the possession of the 
English with the surrender of New York. 

5. In 1682 the territory was purchased by WiUiam 
Penn, and until 1703 formed a part of Pennsylvania. At 
that time it was partially separated from that colony, 
having a distinct assembly chosen by the people, though 
the same governor that ruled over Pennsylvania ruled 
also over Delaware. The colony remained in this situa- 
tion till 1775, when it became an independent state. 

6. At the time of these settlements in America, the 
Catholics in England were persecuted, as the Puritans had 
been before. One of them, Loi'd Baltimore, determined, 
therefore, to come to America. Accordingly he went to 
Virginia, which had now been settled for some time. But 
he found the people there as little disposed to treat the 



52 FIRST LESSONS IX IIISTOKY. 

Catholics kindly as in England. So he went back to Eng- 
land, and begged the king to give him a charter of the 
land lying on Chesapeake Bay, then occupied only by the 
Indians. 

7. This request was granted ; but before the business 
was completed he died. His son Cecil, also called Lord 
Baltimore, determined to carry into eilect the plans of his 
father. So he obtained the graut for himself, and in 1034 
sent his brother, Leonard Calvert, with two hundred 
Catholic emigrants, to settle upon the land on the Chesa- 
peake. 

8. When they arrived at the mouth of the Potomac 
River, they found an Indian village there, called Yoaraaco. 
This village they purchased of the savages, and thus ob- 
tained good shelter till they could build better houses. 
They also acquired some good land, which had been culti- 
vated. Their situation was therefore very comfortable. 

9. The colonists found plenty of wild deer in the woods, 
and abundance of fish along the shores of the bay. The 
sea fowl were also numerous. There were countless flocks 
of ducks skimming along the water, and settling down 
around the islands ; and there Avere numbers of wild gin^se 
at the mouths of the creeks and rivers. 

10. The colony flourished, as well in consequence of its 
pleasant situation as the liberal policy of its government. 
These Catholics did not persecute those wlio differed from 
them in religious opinion. Lord Baltimore, and Koger 
Williams, of Rhode Island, seem to have discovered, about 
the same time, that every man has a right to worship God 
as he i)leases. Thus Rhode Island and Miuyland, at 
this early date, enjoyed the blessings of entire religious 
freedom. 

11. Yet the colony had its share of troubles. A man 
by the name of Clayborne stirred up the Indians to hos- 



SETTLEMENTS. BALTIMORE. 53 

tility, and they made war on the settlers. This continued 
for several yeai's, and the people suifered great distress. 
In 1645 the same Clayborne induced some of the settlers 
to rebel against their rulers, and Calvert, the governor, 
was obliged to fly to Virginia. But the next year the 
revolt was suppressed. Governor Calvert returned, and 
the colony once more enjoyed a state of peace. 

12. In 1666 the colony contained about twelve thou- 
sand inhabitants. In 1676 Lord Baltimore, the founder of 
the colony, died, leaving behind him the enviable charac- 
ter of a wise and good man. He was succeeded by his 
son Charles as proprietor of the colony, who possessed the 
amiable qualities of his father. 

13. In 1689 King William assumed the government of 
the colony; but in 1716 it was restored to Lord Baltimore, 
and continued in the family till 1775. The people then 
engaged with the other colonies in the revolution, and 
Lord Baltimore's claims ceased. 

14. There was, for many years, a dispute about the 
boundary of this state, between the heirs of William 
Penn, proprietor of what is now the State of Pennsylva- 
nia, and the heirs of Lord Baltimore, proprietor of what is 
now the State of Maryland. In 1762 Mr. Charles Mason, 
of the English Royal Observatory, London, and Mr. Jere- 
miah Dixon, were appointed to run a line between the 
lands of the two parties. This line was called Mason and 
Dixon's line. 

15. In 1681 King Charles granted to William Penn, 
who was a Quaker, a large tract of land between New 
Jersey and Maryland. This included Pennsylvania and 
Delaware. In the fall of the same year, a good many 
persons, chiefly Quakers, to whom he had sold some of the 
land, set out in three ships, and came to America. These 

5* 



54 FIUST LESSONS IN niSTORY. 

people settled on the Delaware River, near where Phila- 
delphia now stands. 

16. They brought with them a letter from Penn to the 
Indians. In this he said to them, " that the great God had 
been pleased to make him eoncenied in their part of the 
world, and that the king of the country where he lived 
had given him a great province therein, but that he did 
not desire to enjoy it without their consent ; that he was a 
man of peace, and that the people whom he sent were 
men of the same disposition ; and if any difference should 
happen between them, it might be adjusted by an equal 
number of men chosen on both sides." 

17. In the fall of 1682 Penn himself came to the 
colony, with two thousand emigrants. While he was in 
the country, he met some of the Indian chiefs, and made a 
treaty with them. His mild and gentle manners made a 
great impi'ession on the sav'ages. He walked with them, 
sat with them on the ground, and ate with them of their 
roasted acorns and hominy. At this they expressed great 
delight, and soon began to show how they could hop and 
jump. Penn, it is said, then got up and began to hop, too, 
and soon sliowed that he could beat them all. Whether 
this is true or not I cannot say ; but it is certain the 
Indians long remembered liim with feelings of love and 
veneration. 

18. Penn also marked out the plan of a great city, to 
which he gave the name of Pliihuk'ljjhia, by which is 
meant " the city of brotherly love." Before the end of the 
year this place contained eighty buildings. In 1684 Penn 
returned to Enghiiid, leaving the province in a happy and 
prosperous condition. 

19. No pai't of America Avas settled more rapidly than 
Pennsylvania. The soil was fertile, the climate mild and 
agreeable, and the deer and other wild animals were 



SETTLEMENTS. PENNSYLVANIA. 55 

abundant. The government, too, arranged by Penn was 
just and liberal, giving perfect freedom to every man to 
worship God in his own way. Thus at peace among 
themselves, the Indians being made their friends by justice 
and gentleness, the people of this colony afforded a striking 
contrast to the less fortunate settlements in the north and 
east. Attracted by the favorable circumstances I have 
mentioned, numerous emigrants flocked to Pennsylvania ; 
and in four years after Penn received the grant, the 
province contained twenty settlements, and the city of 
Philadelphia two thousand inhabitants. 

20. In 1G99 Penn returned to the province. He found 
some uneasiness among the people, to remove which he 
gave them a new charter in 1701. This was submitted 
to the assembly chosen by the people, and accei^ted. But 
the inhabitants in that part of the province wliich now 
forms the State of Delaware did not like the charter, 
and refused to accept it. They were therefore separated 
from Pennsylvania in 1703, and had a distinct assembly, 
chosen by the people, who made their laws. The same 
governor, however, presided over Pennsylvania and Del- 
aware. 

21. Penn soon returned to England, and never visited 
America again. He died in 1718, leaving behind him the 
character of a truly pious and good man. He was twice 
imi)risoned in England, by the government, for his reli- 
gious opinions, and his enemies accused him of A'^ery 
wicked conduct. But he lived to see every suspicion 
wiped away from his reputation ; and his life teaches us 
that the world fails not to honor a man of active kindness, 
piety, and truth. 

22. His colony continued to flourish, and its increase in 
population was unexampled. The Indians, conciliated by 
kindness, remained for seventy years at peace with the 



56 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY, 

inliabitants ; and thus, until the French war, nothing oc- 
curred in Pennsylvania to iuten'upt her prosperity. 

23. North Carolina was first settled by the English' 
about the year 1650. The settlers of Virginia were not 
Puritans, but Churchmen, or Episcopalians. They were, 
hoAvevej", almost as zealous as the New England fathers,! 
and persecuted those Avlio did not believe with them in; 
matters of religion. Several pei'sons, distressed by these- 
persecutions, left t^e colony, and proceeding to the northj 
side of Albemarle Sound, settled along the shore, about! 
the time above mentioned. Here, in the wilderness, they; 
found peace and plenty. < The soil was fertile, and the 
climat^ soft and gentle. Free from the biting winters of : 
the north, undisturbed by the persecutions of their fellow- 
men, they lived for a time without government, yet with- 
out anarchy. 

24. Attracted by these favorable circumstances, t)ther ] 
settlers came to them, until their number was considerable. 
In 1663 the territory of North and South Carolina was 
granted by the King of England to Lord Clarendon and 
others.. To induce people to settle here, they gave public ; 
notice that the inhabitants should enjoy perfect religious 
freedom, and have an assembly of their own choosing, to 
make laws for them. Accordingly a good many persons 
came, and Mr. Di-ummond was made governor of the i 
colony. 

25. In 1670 William Sayle made a settlement at a, 
place then called Port Royal. The next year he removed j 
to a neck of land between two rivers, called Cooper and I 
Ashley Rivers. The settlement he called Charleston, in 
honor of the King of England, Charles II., then on the 
throne. This place grew very rapidly, and being at a ; 
great distance from Albemarle Sound, it had a distinct • 
government to superintend its affairs. Hence arose the 1 
two names of North and South Cai-olina. 



N"5 




SETTLEMENTS. CAROLINAS. 57 

i 

26. In 1707 some French people, forced from their 
homes by persecution, settled on the River Trent, near 
Pamlico Sound. In 1710 some Germans, di-iveu by the 
same cause from their native land, took I'efuge near the 
same spot. Here, for a time, these settlers lived happily ; 
but by and by a sudden and awful calamity fell upon them. 

27. Not far from the white people, two powerful tribes 
of Indians, named Tuscaroras and Corees, inhabited the 
forests. Irritated by some injuries they had received, and 
fearing that the white people would soon spread them- 
selves over the whole land, they secretly plotted the entire 
destruction of the French and German settlers. 

28. The Indians were always very artful in war. In 
the present instance, they privately sent their families to 
a distant fort, and then twelve hundred Avarriors, armed 
with bows and spears, prepared for the attack. They 
waited until it was night ; then, dividing into several par- 
ties, they secretly approached the difierent settlements. 
The inhabitants, who had gone to rest in peace, and with- 
out fear, were suddenly waked by the dreadful war whoop. 
Men, women, and children were killed. The Indians, 
furious as tigers, ran from house to house, slaying all they 
met. Shrieks, prayers, and cries for mercy availed not. 
The innocent, the helpless, and the unresisting all perished 
alike. 

29. A few only of the inhabitants escaped. These, 
w ith the cries of their murdered countrymen in their ears, 
lied swiftly through the woods, to the settlement in South 
Carolina, for assistance. About a thousand men were 
immediately despatched, under Colonel Barnwell, against 
the Indians. They had a Jong and tedious march ; but at 
length they met the enemy. The latter fought bravely, 
but were defeated, and fled to the fortified town, where 
they had sent their women and children. Here the white 



58 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

men pursued them, and were on the point of storming the 
place, wlien the Indians begged for peace. This was 
granted by Colonel Barnwell, and the white men returned 
to their homes. 

30. But this iDcace did not last long ; the Indians soon 
made war again, and Colonel Moore, with forty white men, 
and eight hundred friendly Indians, were sent against the 
enemy. The latter again fled to one of their fortified 
towns ; but after a siege of several days, this was taken, 
wuth eight hundi-ed prisoners. The Corees and Tuscaroras 
were now quite disheartened ; they gave up their hopes of 
driving the wliite people from the country, and the former 
continued to be peaceable ever after. The latter, in 1713, 
bade adieu to the forests, and hills, and rivers, which ttey 
had once called their own, and moving to the north, joined 
the Five Nations. From this time tliese celebrated tribes 
were called the Six Nations. A remnant of the Tusca- 
rora tribe may still be seen at Vernon, in the State of New 
York. 

31. In 1729 the two Carolinas, which till this time had 
been one colony, were separated, and ever since they have 
remained distinct. The interior of North Carolina was 
soon explored, and iiuding it very fertile, many settlers 
established themselves there. The colony increased rap- 
idly, and under a succession of good governors, it flour- 
ished till the approach of the revolutionary war, in 
1775. 

32. In 1732 one hundred and thirteen persons, under 
James Oglethorpe, came from England, and made the first 
settlement in Georgia. They established themselves at 
YamacraAV Bluff, and there laid the foundation of the pres- 
ent city of Savannah. The object of those persons in 
England who planned the settlement of Georgia was, to 
provide a place where the j)oor people of Great Britain 



SETTLEMENTS. GEORGIA. td 

might go and live comfortably. They also desired to fur- 
nish an asylum, where the persecuted and oppressed of 
all nations might go and live in peace. 

33. In 1733 five hundred poor people emigrated from 
England to Georgia, and in 1735 four hundred settlers 
came from Germany, Switzerland, and Scotland. Thus 
the number of inhabitants increased rapidly ; but still the 
colony did not flourish. The greater part of the people 
remained poor, although half a million of dollars had been 
spent in sending them across the Atlantic, and in providing 
them with the necessaries and comforts of life. 

34. In the year 1740 there was war between England 
and Spain. Now the latter government possessed Florida, 
and had several settlements there. Accordingly, Mr. 
Oglethorpe, the excellent governor of Georgia, determined 
to make war upon these Spanish settlements. So he took 
with him two thousand men, a part of them from Virginia 
and South Carolina, and proceeded against St. Augustine. 
This place he besieged ; but the Spaniards defended them- 
selves bravely, and he was obliged to march back again 
with his two thousand men. 

35. Two years after this the Spaniards came with thirty 
vessels and three thousand soldiers, to punish the English 
settlers for their attack on St. Augustine. Their intention 
was to take possession of Georgia first, and the two Caro- 
linas afterwards. 

3G. General Oglethorpe had but seven hundred men 
and a small body of Indians under his command. Ac- 
cordingly he sent to South Carolina for assistance ; but the 
people would not send him any. So he and his little band 
Avere left to defend themselves, as well as they could, 
against four times their number. Oglethorpe knew his 
danger, and determined to scare the Spaniards away, if 
possible. He therefore contrived to make them believe 



60 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

that he had more men than he actually had, and that a 
great body of English soldiers were coming to help him. 

37. One day the Spaniards saw three vessels of war off 
the coast ; sujiposing that these had brought the reenforce- 
ments, they became very much alarmed, ran aboard their 
ships as fast as possible, and sailed away. Thus Ogle- 
thorpe got rid of his troublesome visitors. 

38. In 1754 the j^roprietors gave up the colony to the 
king, and after that time it prospered very much. The 
people began to cultivate rice and indigo, wliich they found 
very proiitable. Sometimes the Florida Indians were 
troublesome, but no war of much intei'est occurred. 



VI. FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 

1. The old French war, as it is called in American his- 
tory, commenced in 17.3.J. At that period the country now 
occupied by New England, the five Bliddle States, and the 
four Southern States lying along tlie Atlantic embraced 
thirteen colonies, all belonging to Great Britain, and all 
acknowledging the government of that country. None of 
the country lying west of the states above mentioned was 
then occupied by English settlers. 

2. The French had settlements in Canada, extending 
from tlie mouth of the St. Lawrence to Lake Ontario. 
Along the shores of that lake they had established sevei'al 
forts and trading houses, to promote their trade with the 
Indians, which was now esteemed a matter of great conse- 
quence. They had also planted New Orleans, near the 
mouth of the Mississipi)i, and having ascended that i-iver, 
had laid claim to the beautiful and fertile valley through 
which it flows. They had also built tradmg liouses on the 



FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 61 

River Ohio, and had finally determined to connect their 
northern and southern settlements by a chain of forts, ex- 
tending from Lake Ontario to their establishments on the 
Ohio, and thence down the River Mississippi to New 
Orleans. 

3. While the French were busy in carrying this project 
into effect, some English people, from Virginia, established 
themselves on the Ohio River, not far from the French 
settlements. As the French now claimed the country, 
they seized some of these settlers, and carried them pris- 
oners to Canada. The land in question was considered as 
a part of the colony of Virginia by the English, and it 
was supposed to belong to certain English people to whom 
it had been granted. These persons, regarding the con- 
duct of the French as very wrong, applied to Governor 
Dinwiddle, of Virginia, for redi'ess. 

4. The governor thought it best, in the first place, to 
send a messenger to the commander of the French forces 
on the Ohio, and require him to march his troops away, 
and thus quit the country. The person chosen for this 
purpose was George Washington, then but twenty-one 
years old. At this early age he began that public career 
which has endeared liis name to every American, and ren- 
dered it illustrious throughout the world. 

5. Washington went to the French commander, and 
delivered to him a letter from Governor Dinwiddle, ex- 
plaining the nature of his business. The French officer 
replied that he would forward the letter to his general, 
who was then in Canada, and that he should strictly abide 
by his instructions. This answer did not satisfy Governor 
Dinwiddie ; so he raised four hundred troops, and sent 
th')m, under the command of Washington, against the 
French, in the spring of 1754. They proceeded through 
the woods, and over the mountains, till they came near 

6 



62 FIEST LESSOKS IX HISTORY. 

Fort Du Quesne, where Pittsburg, in Pennsylvania, now 
stands. 

6. Wlien Washington had nearly reached this fort, 
about nine hundred French soldiers came out to attack 
him. He had scarcely time to throw up some hasty works 
for defence before the French came upon him. The num- 
ber of the French was more than double that of the Eng- 
lish, but AYashington did not mind that ; he cheered his 
men, and they fought very bravely. By and by, the 
French were tired of the battle, and so they made an 
agreement with Washington, that he and his men should 
return to Virginia, which they did accordingly. 

7. Being informed of all these things, the British gov- 
ernment laerceived that they must either drive the French 
away by force, or relinquish the whole Valley of the JVIis- 
sissippi. They determined to do the former, and sent out 
a great many troops to America to accomplish this object. 
In the spring of 17 5i), General Braddock, an English offi- 
cer, began to make preparations, in Virginia, to proceed 
with a large army against Fort Du Quesne. 

8. It is necessary for an army that is going on a march 
to have a great number of horses and wagons to carry 
their baggage. It Avas found very difiicult to procure 
enough of these ; and General Braddock, becoming impa- 
tient, determined to set out with a j)art of the army only. 
Accordingly he proceeded with twelve hundred men, leav- 
ing Colonel Dunbar to come on with the rest of the troops, 
as soon as the preparations were ready. General Brad- 
dock was a brave man, and knew very well liow to manage 
a battle with regular soldiers ; but he knew nothing of the 
Indian method of skulking behind trees, and rocks, and 
thickets, and shooting down men like so many squirrels. 

9. So he proceeded through the woods, trusting in his 
own skill, and fearing nothing. He was advised to be on 



FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 63 

his guard, lest the cunning savages should surprise him. 
But he treated this counsel with scorn. On the 9th of 
July, the English ti'oops had approached within a few 
miles of Fort Du Quesne. At length they came to a nar- 
row valley, vdtli high rocks on each side. It was midsum- 
mer, and the trees were covered with a thick mantle of 
leaves. All was peaceful and quiet around, and the troops 
marched on, never dreaming that behind every bush, and 
rock, and tree around lay a lurking savage, taking a sure 
aim, and ready to send a fatal bullet after them. 

10. At once a wild and hideous yell burst from the 
rocky sides of the valley, and at the same instant, hundreds 
of muskets flashed from the many hiding-places of the foe. 
Astounded at this, the forward ranks of the English were 
thrown into confusion. But in a few minutes General 
Braddock came u.p, v/ith the main body of the army, and 
order was restored ; but it was to no purpose. The enemy 
did not come out in regular platoons to be fired at, as Gen- 
eral Braddock expected ; they remained in their coverts, 
and shot down the British soldiers like a herd of deer. 

11. Braddock was too proud to retreat. He and his 
officers remained on the ground, bravely exerting them- 
selves to overcome the enemy ; but in this they only sacri- 
ficed their lives. One by one they were shot dovt^n, and 
Braddock at length fell. Tlie British soldiers then fled in 
dismay. Washington, with his Virginia troops, sheltered 
the retreating army fiojn flie French and Indians who 
pursued them. But for him nearly all the men under 
Braddock's command would have fallen a sacrifice to their 
commander's rashness. As it was, one half of tlie number 
perished in the battle. This disastrous enterprise was 
closed by a return of the troops to Philadelphia, leaving 
the frontier of Pennsylvania and Virginia exposed to the 
enemy. 



64 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

1 2. Two other expeditions were undertaken against the 
French during the summer of 1755. One was against 
Foi't Niagara, situated near tlie great cataract, and the 
other against Crown Point, an important post on the 
western shore of Lake Champlain. Both of tliese expe- 
ditions were unsuccessful. 

13. In the spring of 1756 great preparations were 
made for war in America, both by the French and Eng- 
lish ; yet it is remarkable that the two nations in Europe 
yet continued to be on terms of the greatest apparent 
friendshii). But this did not last long. England declared 
war in May, and France in June following. A great 
many troops were assembled in America ; but instead of 
being placed under the command of American officers, who 
were well acquainted with the country, and who would of 
course be anxious to carry on the war with success, they 
were commanded by British officers, who spent a great 
deal of time in show and parade, but did very little else. 
The whole season was wasted in indolence on the part of 
the English, while the French prosecuted the war with 
activity and vigor. 

14. The next year (1757) was like that which preceded 
it. The King and Parliament of Great Britain were 
jealous of the colonies at this early date. They were not 
willing to intrust Americans with the direction of their 
own affairs, and therefore continued to employ the officers 
who had exhibited nothing but indolence and weakness 
before. 

15. The principal event of this campaign was the cap- 
ture of Fort AYilliam Henry. This was situated on Lake 
George, and had a garrison of three thousand men, under 
the command of Colonel Mnnroe. Fifteen miles to the 
south of this post was Fort Edward, on the east side of 
the Hudson River, occupied by General "Webb, with four 
thousand troops. 



FRENCH AXn INDIAN WAR. 65 

16. The French commander, Montcalm, collected near 
ten thousand men, many of them Indians, and suddenly 
appeared before Fort William Henry. They came sailing 
down the lake, covering its bright surface with a multitude 
of boats and canoes. The whole army landed, and imme- 
diately began the attack. 

17. Colonel Munroe was surprised, but not disheart- 
ened. Though his little garrison was surrounded by ten 
thousand men, he made a bold and successful defence. 
The soldiers kept off the enemy with muskets and with 
cannon, which shook the hills around with their thunder, 
and often sent death among the ranks of the besiegers. 
For six days the fort Avas thus defended ; but Colonel 
Munroe knew he could not hold out long, unless assistance 
came from General Webb. He sent to that officer repeat- 
edly, entreating him for help ; but none came. Thus de- 
serted in the most cowardly and cruel manner, he was 
obliged to surrender the fort to Montcalm. The English 
marched out of the fort, and the French took possession 
of it. But the saddest part of this story I have yet to tell. 
Montcalm promised to protect the English prisoners from 
the savages ; but this he failed to do. The Indians first 
fell upon the sick, and plundered and killed them ; thus 
they became excited, and surrounding the disarmed Eng- 
lish soldiers, who had no means of defence, began to slay 
them also. 

18. There were several thousands of the savages, and 
they now filled the air with their horrid yells. They 
struck down the English with their tomahawks, and tore 
tlie reeking scalps from their heads. As the slaughter 
proceeded, they grew more frantic. Their yells became 
still more wild, and these were now mingled with the 
shrieks of the wounded and the dying. At this awful 
moment, Munroe besought Montcalm to protect his poor 

6* 



G6 FIRST LESSONS IN IIISTORT. 

soldiers, as he had promised ; but that officer would not 
interfere. His bloodj allies were permitted to do their 
work of death without restraint. The carnage went on, 
and hundreds of the British soldiers were slaughtered, or 
carried captives into the wilderness. 

19. The day after this fearful tragedy, Major Putnam 
was sent by General Webb to watch the motions of the 
enemy. They had already left the place, and set out for 
Ticonderoga. They had destroyed the fort, leaving the 
buildings still on fire. The ground, far and near, was cov- 
ered with dead bodies, cut and mangled in the most shock- 
ing manner. Some were still broiling in the flames, and 
others were torn limb from limb. Thus ended this melan- 
choly affair. Althougli it occurred near a hundred years 
ago, who, without shuddering, can read the detail of such 
barbarities ? 

20. The next year (1758) the war assumed a different 
aspect. AVilliara Pitt, a man of great talents, was placed 
at the head of affairs iu England. He caused new officers 
to be appointed to the command of the armies, and the 
result showed that he selected them wisely. Louis])urg, a 
strong town on the Island of Cape Breton, which had been 
before captured from the French in 1744, and afterwards 
restored to them, was taken by Lord Amherst, and Fort 
Du Quesne was taken by General Forbes. 

21. Lord Abercrombie was sent, with an army of seven- 
teen thousand men, against Ticonderoga. This was a 
strong French fort, on the western shore of Lake Cham- 
plain. The English army crossed the lake in boats. It 
was truly a magnificent display, as they covefed the blue 
water, seemingly as countless as the wild fowl that some- 
times hover over its surface. 

22. But amid this proud array, there was many a heart, 
bounding with youth and hope, destined soon to beat no 



li-RENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 67 

more. When the English had landed, they inarched 
towards the fort. They were met by a small party of the 
French, and in a skirmish that followed, Lord Howe was 
killed. He was a brave yoimg officer, and all the soldiers 
loved him. When they saw him fall dead upon the field, 
they rushed forward, determined to avenge his death. 
They surrounded the fort, and attacked it with the great- 
est fury. They had muskets and cannon, and kept up a 
continual fire against the walls of the fort. If a French- 
man showed his head over the ramparts, he was immedi- 
ately shot by the British soldiers. 

23. They tried every means in their powder to get pos- 
session of the place. They procured ladders, and attempt- 
ed to climb over the walls. For four hours they stormed 
tlie fort with the utmost boldness and bravery ; but it was 
defended with equal courage. The French poured down 
from the walls a dreadful fire of cannon and musketry. 
The noise of the battle was heard to the distance of fifty 
miles. It seemed like continued thunder ; a thick cloud 
of smoke rose up from the place, and, stretching itself far 
across the sky, appeared to tell of the awful scene it had 
witnessed. 

24. Finding it impossible to take the fort. Lord Aber- 
crombie was forced to abandon the enterprise. Two 
thousand of his men had been killed or wounded ; and 
with this heavy loss he retreated. He, however, despatched 
three thousand men, under Colonel Bradstreet, against 
Fort Frontenac, situated on Lake Ontario. This place 
was taken, and the French were thus deprived of a station 
of great importance. 

25. In the next year (1759) several important places 
were taken by the English. Among these were the forts 
of Niagara, Ticonderoga, and Crown Point ; but the most 
important event was the capture of Quebec. This place, 



G8 FIRST LESSON'S IX ITISTORT. 

situated on the north-west side of the St. Lawrence, was 
deemed one of tlie strongest in the world. It was de- 
fended by a great many cannon, placed in several forts 
built upon high rocks. It was thought impossible for 
soldiers in any way to climb up these rocks, or to get pos- 
session of the fortifications. 

2G. But William Pitt believed that the place might be 
taken ; so he sent a large and powerful army against it, 
commanded by General Wolfe. This officer was a young 
man, full of bold and daring thoughts. Three officers, 
Moncton, Townshend, and Murray, all young and brave 
like himself, were associated with him. 

27. It was towards the last of June that the English 
army landed on the Island of Orleans, a few miles below 
Quebec. Here Wolfe had an opportunity to examine the 
difficulties he had to overcome. lie perceived that they 
were very great, but declared to his friends that he would 
either take the city or die in the attemi)t. He devised 
various schemes, and made several efforts, but without 
success. Montcalm, the French commander, was exceed- 
ingly vigilant, and even the confident spirit of Wolfe began 
to be dejected. 

28. But at length a narrow path was discovered, by 
which the soldiers might climb the Heights of Abraham, 
and thus overlook the forts and the town. Wolfe knew 
that if he could get possession of these heights, he should 
obtain a great advantage. Accordingly he resolved to 
make the attempt. But it was necessary that the enter- 
prise should be conducted with the greatest secrecy. 

29. In the stillness of night, a part of the army landed 
at the foot of the cliff which overhung the river. They 
were ready to climb the rocks by daybreak. Wolfe was 
himself among them, and they began their difficult ta:^k. 
Clambering up the steep, they caught hold of roots, bushes. 



FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR. 69 

and angles of tlie rocks, and at length stood safe upon the 
plain above. Before sunrise the whole army had gained 
the heights, and were all arranged under . their several 
leaders. 

30. "When Montcalm heard of all this, he thought it 
impossible, and would not believe the story ; but he soon 
found it to be true. Knowing that he must now come to 
battle, he drew out his men upon the plain in front of the 
English army. When all was ready, the French advanced 
briskly. The English stood still, and received them with 
a dreadful fire. A fierce engagement followed, and after a 
long struggle, the French were defeated. Montcalm and 
"Wolfe were both mortally wounded. 

31. General Wolfe died on the field of battle. He had 
received a bullet in his wrist, and another in his leg ; but 
he concealed these wounds, and pressed into the thickest 
of the fight ; but by and by he was shot in the body, and 
carried off' the field. When he was dying, he heard some 
one say, " They fly ! they fly ! " " Who fly ? " asked he. 
" The French," was the answer. " Then I die contented," 
said the hero, and expired. 

32. Five days after this battle Quebec surrendered to 
the English, and it has ever since remained in their pos- 
session. It has been the capital of the British possessions 
in America ; but the governor, appointed by the king, now 
lives at Toronto. 

33. The next year the French made some feeble 
attempts to recover Quebec, but without success. In 
September, Montreal was taken by the English, and in 
1763 the war was closed by a peace, made at Paris. By 
this treaty France ceded to England all her northern col- 
onies, and these still remain subject to Great Britain. 



70 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

\TI. — THE REVOLUTIOXARY WAR. 

1. Wi: ;irc now coming; to events of great interest and 
great importance. Soon after the French war the King and 
Parliament of Great Britain began to treat the colonies very 
unjustly. Tliey had never conducted generously towards 
them ; on tlie conti-ary, their proceedings had generally 
fcihovvn a desire to make them profitable to England, rather 
than prosperous and happy among themselves. Yet the 
people in this country loved England so well that they 
easily forgot these things; and it is ^'I'obable that all might 
have gone on in harmony for many years, if the British 
government had not attempted to oppress and enslave the 
people. 

2. It is hardly necessary to tell all the difliculties which 
preceded the war ; but the principal one related to taxing 
the Americans. The British government, being very 
much in debt, wanted to raise large sums of money, and 
so determined to get a pai't of it by taxation. Now, the 
Americans maintained that England had no right to tax 
them. They thought it very hard, and very unjust, that 
Parliament, consisting of men Avho lived in England, at a 
distance of three thousand miles, should take away the 
money of the people hei'e, just because they happened to 
want it. Yet this was what Parhament claimed the right 
to do, and they acted accordingly. 

3. In ojiposing this the Americans were perfectly right ; 
but still Parliament passed laws imposing duties upon 
various articles of merchandise brought into the country. 
These acts produced a great foi-ment throughout the colo- 
nies. The people of Boston were particularly excited ; and 
fearing rebellion. General Gage, the British commander, 
assembled two regiments of soldiers to keep them in awe. 

4. These troops took possession of the State House 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 71 

without leave, and there they lived. They paraded about 
the streets, and filled the ears of the inhabitants with the 
constant din of their music. These were foreign soldiers, 
sent with cannon, muskets, and bayonets, to restrain a 
people who considered themselves free. It is easy to per- 
ceive that all this was not calculated to soothe their jeal- 
ous feelings ; on the contrary, it exasperated the people, 
and prepared them to take up arms against, their op- 
pressors. 

5. Such was the state of irritation in Boston, in the 
spring of 1770, that quarrels occurred almost every day 
between the soldiers and the populace. On the 2d of 
March, as one of the British soldiers was going by the 
shop of one Gray, a ropemaker, he was beaten severely. 
He ran oif, but returned with some of his comrades, and 
the soldiers and ropemakers fell together by the ears in 
good earnest. The latter got the worst of it. 

6. The people were now more angry than ever. A 
gi-eat tumult broke out, between seven and eight o'clock, 
on the evening of the 5th of March. The mob, armed 
with clubs, ran towards King Street, now State Street, 
crying, " Let us drive out these rascals ! They have no 
business here ! Drive them out ! Drive out the rascals ! " 
About this time some one cried out that the town had 
been set on fire. Then the bells rang, and the crowd 
became greater and more noisy ; they rushed furiously to 
the custom house, and seeing an English soldier stationed 
there, shouted, " Kill him ! kill him ! " The people at- 
tacked him with snowballs, pieces of ice, and whatever 
they could find. 

7. The sentinel called for the guard, and Captain Pres- 
ton sent a corporal with a fcAv soldiers to defend him. 
They marched with their guns loaded, and the captain fol- 
lowed them. They met a crowd of the people, led on by 



72 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

a giant of a negro, named Attacks ; they brandished their 
clubs, and pelted the soldiers with snowballs, abused them 
with all manner of" barsh words, shouted in their faces, 
surrounded them, and challenged them to fire. 

8. They even rushed upon the points of the bayonets. 
The soldiers stood Uke statues, the bells ringing, and the 
mob pressing upon them. At last, Attucks, with twelve 
of his men, began to strike upon their muskets with clubs, 
and cried out to the multitude, " Don't be afraid ! They 
dare not fire — tbe miserable cowards ! KiU the rascals ! 
Crush them under foot ! " Attucks lifted his arm against 
Captain Preston, and seized upon a bayonet. " They 
dare not fire ! " shouted the mob again. At this instant 
the firmg began. The negro dropped dead upon the 
ground. The soldiers fired twice more. Three men were 
killed and others were wounded. The mob dispersed, 
but soon returned to carry off the bodies. 

9. The whole town was now in an uproar. Thousands 
of men, women, and children rushed through the streets. 
The sound of drums, and cries of " To arms ! to arms ! " 
were heard from all quarters. The soldiers v.'lio had fired 
on the people were arrested, and the govei-nor at last per- 
suaded the multitude to go home quietly. The troops 
were ordered off to Castle "Wilham, now Fort Independ- 
ence. The three slain citizens were buried with great 
ceremony on the 8th ; the shops were all closed, while 
the bells in Boston and the towns around were all tolling. 

10. The bodies were followed to the churchyard from 
King Street, through the city, by a long file of coaches, 
and an immense crowd of people on foot. The soldiers 
were soon after tried. Two were condemned and impris- 
oned ; six of them were acquitted, much to the honor of 
the jury, and of John Adams and Josiah Quincy, who 
pleaded for them. The irritated and unreasonable popu- 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 73 

lace would have torn the soldiers in pieces, if they could 
have had their wav. 

11. Ill March, 1770, the English Parliament concluded - 
to repeal the duties upon glass, paint, and other articles, 
but continued a tax of threei)ence a pound upon tea. 
This was a sad mistake. If Parliament had repealed aU, 
and said no more about taxes, the Americans might have 
been satisfied. As it was, they began to buy goods of the 
English merchants again, tea alone excepted ; this they 
would have nothing to do with. 

12. So matters went on during the year 1771. The 
officers of the revenue were every where despised. In 
Boston, one of them undertook to seize upon a vessel for 
some violation of the law. He was seized upon himself 
by the people, for what they thought a violation of the 
law, stripped, carted through the town, besmeared with 
tar, and covered with a coat of feathers, so that he looked 
more like an ostrich than a man. 

13. In 1772 the English government, intending to put 
down the rebellious sjjirit of the Americans, made several 
new laws, which only served to increase the difficulty. 
The Americans now began to think of doing something 
for themselves in earnest. Committees were chosen in 
every part of the country to attend to public affairs, and 
to write to each other. 

14. In 1773 large shijjs, loaded with immense cargoes 
of tea, were sent out to America by some mei'chants in 
England. But the colonists had made up their minds 
what to do. In Philadelphia and New York not a man 
could be found to receive the English tea, or have any 
thing to do with it. A few chests, which one Captain 
Chambers had brought to Philadelphia, Avere let down 
very quietly to the bottom of the river, by some people 
who went slyly on board the ship. In Charleston it 

7 



74 



FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 



was landed and lodged in cellars so damp that it was soon 
spoiled. 

15. The people of Boston took a keen interest in this 
business. The English agents there, when the tea was 
first known to be on the way, were required by the people 
to give up all concern with it. They made no answer, 
but withdrew, as fast as convenient, into the fortress. 
Captain Hall soon arrived in port with one hundred chests 
of tea. The people colhicted in great iury, ordered hina 
to keep it on board, as he valued his life, and placed a 
guard close by the vessel, upon Griffin's Wharf, east of 
Fort Hill. 

16. Two other vessels, having arrived, were obliged to 
anchor by the side of Hall's ship. A town meeting, 
meanwhile, was summoned, and the people agreed to call 
upon the governor, and request him to have the ships 
sent off. But the governor would do no such tiling. A 
great upi'oar now began. A person in the gallery of the 
hall, dressed like an Indian, shouted the cry of war. 




Throwing the tea OTerboard. 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 75 

17. The meeting was dissolved in the twinlding of an 
eye, and the multitude rushed to Grifiin's Wharf. Here 
were seventeen sea captains, carpenters, and others, dis- 
guised as Indians. It was night, and these persons went 
on board the three vessels, and in less than two hours, 
three hundred and forty chests of tea were staved and 
emptied 'mif> the sea. This done, they went quietly home, 
and the crowd dispersed, yery Avell satisfied. 

18. Early in 1774, an account of these disturbances 
having reached England, the government then determined, 
by way of punishing the people of Boston, to destroy the 
tiade of that town by forbidding all kmds of goods to be 
landed there. Accordingly the Boston Port ^ Bill was 
passed in Parliaraeut, and the news of it was received in 
Boston May 10. .Like other unjust laws, this also did 
more hurt than good. 

19. In a few days after the Port Bill was passed, other 
laws were ma<le, still more severe. They were opposed 
in England by some persons ; but a large part, both of 
the Parliament and the people, supposed, if the Americans 
were punished and pretty well frightened, they would, by 
and by, be more submissive to the mother country. This 
was another sad mistake. * 

20. Not only the people of Boston, but the whole peo- 
ple of America, — north, south, east, and west, — were 
more indignant than ever. Town meetings were held, 
days of fasting appointed, and news of the Port Bill 
spread over the whole country. An agreement to stop all 
trade with England, called the " league and covenant," 
was signed by immense numbers. 

21. Those who refused to sign it were hooted at as 

' The " Boston I'ort Bill " was a law declaring that no person 
should be allowed to land or discharge, or to ship any wares or mer- 
chandise at the port of Boston. 



76 FIRST LESSONS I\ HISTORY. 

enemies of the country. General Gage, at Boston, issued a 
proclamation against the league, and declared it treasonable. 
But these were mere words ; and the Bostonians published, 
in return, that the general's proclamation was treason. 

22. On the 1st of June the Port Bill was put in force. 
At midday all business ceased in the custom house ; no 
vessel was suffered to enter the harbor. Very little was 
now done, for the rich had no money to spare, and the 
poor had no employment. The soldiei's paraded the streets 
in triumph. 

23. But the Bostonians were not forgotten. The coun- 
try was awake on all sides. The 1st of June was kept 
as a fast day in many places. In Pliiladelphia the shops 
were shut and the bells tolled. The people of Marblehead 
and Salem offered the Boston merchants their harbors, 
wharves, and warehouses, free of all cost ; and large sums 
of money, and other things, collected in all parts of the 
country, were sent into Boston. 

24. Serious preparations began to be made for war. 
People provided themselves with arms, formed compa- 
nies, and learned, as fast as possible, the business of sol- 
diers. Being most of them used to hunting, tliey were 
^od marksmen. Every where nothing was heard but 
the noise of drums and fifes. Fathers and sons, young 
and old, became soldiers ; and even women and girls set 
about casting balls and making cartridges. 

25. Meanwhile the jealousy of the people towards the 
soldiers continued to increase. Even the children caught 
the general feeling, as a story will show you. During 
the Avinter, before the Port Bill passed, the boys were in 
the habit of building hills of snow on the common, and 
sliding down ujjon them to the pond. The English troops 
beat down these hills, mei'ely to provoke the children. 
The boys complained of the injury, and set about repair- 



THE RETOLUTIOXARY WAR. 77 

ing it. However, when they returned from school they 
found the snow hills beaten down agaui. 

26. Several of the boys now waited upon the British 
captain, and informed hira of the conduct of his soldiers ; 
but he would have nothing to say to them, and the soldiers 
were more impudent than ever. At last they called a 
meeting of the largest boys, and sent them to General 
Gage, commander-in-chief. 

27. He asked why so many children had called upon 
him. " We came, sir," said the tallest boy, " to demand 
satisfaction." " What ! " said the general ; " have your 
fathers been teaching you rebellion, and sent you to show 
it here ? " " Nobody sent us, sir," ansv/ered the boy, 
while his cheek reddened and his eye flashed ; " we have 
never injured nor insulted your troops ; but they have 
trodden down our snow hills and broken the ice on our 
skating ground. We complained, and they called us 
young rebels, and told us to help ourselves if we could. 
We told the captain of this, and he laughed at us. Yes- 
terday our works were destroyed for a third time; and, 
sir, we will bear it no longer." 

28. The general looked at them witli admiration, and 
said to an officer at his side, " The very cliildren draw in 
a love of liberty with the air they breathe. You may go, 
my brave boys ; and be assured if my troops trouble you 
again, they shall be punished." 

29. The people in all parts of the country were re- 
solved to resist the oppression of the British government. 
Slowly and reluctantly had they come to the decision ; 
but now that the spirit of the nation was roused, they 
were ready to go into_ the field, and shed their blood in 
the sacred cause of liberty. In this state of things nothing 
was wanting but some occasion which might call the feel- 
ings of the people into action ; and this was not long 

7 * 



78 



FIRST LESSONS IX HISTORY. 



delayed. There were some military stores at Concord, 
about eighteen miles from Boston, belonging to the Amer- 
icans. These General Gage wislied to destroy ; and for 
this purpose he sent about eight hundred grenadiers and 
light infantry from Boston, at eleven o'clock in the evening 
of the 18th of April, 1775. 

30. Notice of this was immediately carried into the 
country. By two o'clock in the morning, one hundred and 
thirty of the Lexington militia had assembled on the green, 
at the meeting house, to oppose them. They were dis- 
missed, but collected again between four and five, at the 
beat of the drum. By and by, the body of British troops 
came marching up the road, led by t^vo or three officers, 
who called upon the Americans to throw down their arms 
and disperse. As these orders were not instantly obeyed, 




British troops firing on tlie Americans at Lexington. 

a volley was fired, by which eight of the Americans were 
killed and several wounded. The survivors scattered at 
once, and the Bi-itish regulars marched on to Concord. 



THE REVOLUTIONARY "WAR. 79 

31. At Concord tlaey disabled two cannon, threw five 
hundred pounds of ball into the wells, and staved about 
sixty barrels of flour. They fired upon the Concord 
militia, under Major Buttrick's command. Two men were 
killed ; a skirmish followed, and the English retreated as 
fast as possible to Lexington. By this time the people 
were coming upon them from all parts of the country. 
The British were fired upon on all sides, from sheds, 
houses, and fences. 

32. At Lexington, where they halted to rest, they were 
joined by nine hundred more troops, sent out from Boston, 
under Lord Percy. These brought two cannon with them ; 
and the country people were kept back. They still fired 
upon the troops, however, and being generally good marks- 
men, made terrible havoc. The regulars, as the English 
troops were called, reached Charlestown at sunset, and 
returned the next day into Boston. Sixty-five of their 
number had been killed, one hundred and eighty wounded, 
and twenty-eight made prisoners. 

33. Of the provincials, fifty were killed and thirty-eight 
wounded and missing. There were never more than three 
or four hundred of the latter fighting at one time, and they 
fought as they pleased, without order. The regulars wei'e 
ol)liged to keep in the main road ; but the militia, knowing 
every inch of the country, flanked them, and fired upon 
them at all the corners. 

34. The news of this first battle produced a tremen- 
duous excitement throughout the countiy. The dead Avere 
buried with great ceremony. Large bodies of militia 
marched towards Boston, and agreements were entered 
into, by thousands of people, to defend the Bostonians to 
the last gasp. 

35. Every body was armed and ready to fight. When 
the news of the Lexington battle reached Barnstable, a 



80 FIRST LESSON'S IX niSTOKT. 

company of militia started off for Cambridge at once. In 
the front was a young man, the only child of an old fai"mei\ 
As they came to the old gentleman's house, they halted 
a moment. The drum and fife ceased. The farmer came 
out with his gray head bare. " God be with you all," 
said he ; " and you, John, if you must fight, fight like a 
man, or never let me see you again." The old man gave 
him his blessing. The brave fellow brushed a tear from 
his eye, and the company marched on. 

36. The excitement produced by the battle of Lexing- 
ton extended througliout the colonies. The news, for 
instance, reached a small town in Connecticut on the 
morning of the Sabbath. It was nearly time to go to 
meeting, when the beating of a drum and the ringing of 
the bell attracted the attention of the people. 

37. In expectation that some great event was about 
to liappen, every unusual signal had a startling effect. 
When the drum and the bell were heard, therefore, the 
men came running to the meeting house green in breath- 
less haste. Soon the clergyman was among them, and 
they were all told that some of their countrymen had been 
shot by tlie Britisli soldiers at Lexington. The faces of 
the men, as they heard it, were pale, but not from fear. 
It was immediately resolved that thirty persons should be 
equij)ped, and should set out for Boston. Those who 
could best go were selected, and went home to make 
preparations. 

38. At noon they had all returned to the little lawn 
in front of the meeting house. There was a crowd of 
people around. There were friends, and acquaintances, 
and wives and children. Such as were not well supplied 
with clothes and equipments were immediately furnished 
by their neighbors. Among the crowd there was one 
remarkable individual. This was a rich old miser, who 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 81 

was never known to part with his money but with extreme 
reluctance. On the jDresent occasion his nature seemed 
changed. He took several of the soldiers apart, whom he 
supposed likely to be destitute, and put into then- hands 
about thirty dollars in hard cash, at the same time saying, 
in a low voice, " Beat the rascals ! beat them ! If you 
come back, perhaps you will pay me ; if not, God bless 
you." 

39. After all the arrangements were made, the soldiers 
entered the broad aisle of the church. An affecting and 
fervent prayer was then offered by the clergyman, in 
behalf of the country, and in behalf of these brave men, 
that were about to enter upon the dangerous chances of 
war. After the prayer,_ he made a short but animated 
address, encouraging the men to do their duty. He pro- 
nounced a blessing, and then they departed. 

40. General Putnam, a brave man, lived at that time at 
Brooklyn, in Connecticut. He was a farmer, and was 
ploughing in the field when the tidings from Lexington 
were brought to him. He did not stay even to unyoke his 
cattle ; but leaving the plough in the unfinished fuiTOW, he 
went to his house,- gave some hasty directions respecting 
his affairs, mounted his horse, and with a rapid pace pro- 
ceeded to Boston. 

41. In the course of a few weeks about thirty thousand 
men had arrived from various parts of the country. They 
were, indeed, poorly armed, but they were full of resolu- 
tion. Most of them were farmers and mechanics, Avho 
had spent their lives in peace, and knew nothing of war. 
But the blood of their countrymen had been spilled, and 
they bad come to avenge their death. They had no can- 
non, no leaders, but little ammunition, and many of them 
had no guns. But in spite of these deficiencies, they were 



82 FIRST LESSONS IN niSTOKT. 

full of courage, and ready, as soon as an opportunity 
offered, to meet the British troops in open battle. 

42. The country at that time was not, as now, full of 
wealth, and covered with large towns and cities. Bos- 
ton, New York, Philadelphia, and other large places, were 
then comparatively small. The country was poor, and 
the whole number of inhabitants, throughout the thirteen 
colonies, was scarcely three millions ; yet they were about 
to engage in a strife with Great Britain, the most powerful 
nation on the earth. 

43. That counti'y had a great many ships of war, and 
the Americans had none. It had powerful armies, skilful 
generals, and an abundance of all the materials for carry- 
ing on a war. Such were, indeed, the poverty and 
apparent weakness of America, such the mighty power of 
England, that in Europe it was generally believed that the 
Americans must be crushed in the struggle. But our 
bi'ave fathers thought differently. They knew the power 
of England, but they knew also that the race is not 
always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. Placing 
their confidence in Heaven and tlic justice of their cause, 
they entered boldly into the contest, and, as we shall see 
in the end, triumphed over their oppressors. 

44. The war having been opened by the battle of Lex- 
ington, the Americans determined to })rosecute it, on tlieir 
part, with vigor. They sent some soldiers, under the 
command of Colonels Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold, 
against two Briiish forts, Ticonderoga and Crown Point. 
On the arrival of Allen at the fonner place, he demanded 
the surrender of the fort. " By what authority ? " asked 
the commander. " I demand it," said Allen, " in the name 
of the Great Jehovah, and of the Continental Congress." 
The summons Avas instantly obeyed, and the ibrt Avas, with 
its valuable stores, instantly surrendered. The capture of 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



83 



Crown Point soon followed. The militia invested Boston, 
and pretty soon the British troops, of which there were 
several thousand in that town, began to feel a little uncom- 




Colonel Ethan Allen demanding the STorrender of Ticonderoga. 

fortable. The Americans had two or three old rusty can- 
non, with which they blazed away upon the enemy, making 
a good deal of noise, and doing some execution. 

45. General Gage did not like to be cooped up in 
Boston with his men ; so he determined to cut through 
the militia with his troops, and take up some station in the 
country. To prevent this, the Americans sent a thousand 
men by niglit to occupy Bunker Hill, situated in Charles- 
town. By some mistake they passed Bunker Hill and 
advanced to Breed's Hill, at the southern end of the pen- 
insula, and much nearer Boston. At midnight they began 
to erect intrenchments ; and working with all their might, 
they had thrown up a small redoubt, eight rods square, by 
the dawn of day. Tlie British were utterly astonished 
when they saw what was going on. Knowing that the 



84 



FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 



Americans could lii*e their cannon balls do^vn upon them 
from the hill, they saw the necessity of immediately driving 
them away, if possible. 

46. It was now the 17th of June, and the British troops 
were soon put in motion. The whole town of Boston 
resounded with the noise of drums and fifes. Heavy col- 
umns of soldiers marched along the streets, and entered 
the boats to cross over to Breed's Hill. A great many 
cannon from the British ships and other places opened 
their fire upon the Americans, and the balls went boom- 
ing through the aii', ploughuig up the ground, but doing 
little damage. • 

47. The Americans knew wluit was comuig, and, like 
men not to be turned from their purpose, labored steadily 
at their works. There were Prescott, Putnam, Warren, 
and other brave leaders among them. There were no idle 




Burning of Charlestown and lauding of tbo British troopiJ 



hands, there were no coward hearts there ; every man 
entered with his whole soul into the business at this awful 
crisis. 



THE REVOLUTIONARY AVAR. 85 

48. At length the British landed ; some of them entered 
Charlestown, and set it on fire. The flames ran from 
house to house, until the whole town was involved in one 
vast blaze. Pretty soon the troops began to advance up 
the hill towards the Americans. The latter were now 
ready, and having placed themselves behind their breast- 
works, lay waiting for the enemy. There were gray- 
haired old men, with their sons and grandsons near them ; 
neighbors, friends, and brothers stood side by side. 

49. The British advanced bravely. They were led by 
General Howe and other gallant officers. With steady 
confidence they marched towards the American lines. It 
was an awful moment. Thousands and thousands of 
people covered the hills, and houses, and steeples of Bos- 
ton, that they might see the fight. The cannon, for a few 
minutes, ceased their roar; every thing around seemed 
to pause and look with breathless interest upon the 
scene. 

50. The British came on. The stillness of death rested 




The battle of Bunker Hill. 



86 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

upon the American lines. At length the enemy had ap- 
proached within a few rods, when, at a given signal, a thou- 
sand bullets were suddenly sent among their ranks. For 
a few seconds the Americans kept up a deadly fire, and 
the British were obliged to retreat. But they soon rallied, 
and came again upon the Americans. They were again 
driven back. Still a third time they ralUed, and the 
Americans, having used up all their powder and ball, 
fought for some time with the but-ends of their muskets, 
and then reluctantly retreated. 

51. In this battle ten hundred and fifty-four of the 
British were killed and wounded ; of the Americans, four 
hundred and fifty-three. The British officers were aston- 
ished at the result ; they had before despised the Ameri- 
cans, and never imagined that a collection of people, who 
had not learned the art of war, commanded by no expe- 
rienced officers, and but jioorly provided with arms and 
ammunition, could make such havoc among disciplined 
troops. 

52. This battle, though it was fought on Breed's Hill, 
is called the battle of Bunker Hill. The Americans were 
driven back ; but this happened only because their ammu- 
nition was expended. It gave the people great courage, 
for it showed that they could beat the British regulai'S in a 
fair fight. Yet the Americans, though they rejoiced at their 
partial success, had much occasion for sorrow. Many of 
their friends and neighbors had been killed, and among 
these was General Warren, who was greatly beloved by 
all the people. 

53. The people of the colonies, finding it necessaiy to 
have some general government, had sent some of their 
wisest men to Philadelphia, to manage public aifairs. 
These were called the Continental Congress. They ap- 
pointed George Washington, of Virginia, commander-in- 



THE REYOLUTIONAKY TTAR. 87 

chief of the American armies ; and in about a fortnight 
after the battle of Bunker Hill he reached Cambridge, 
which is three miles from Boston. He found about four- 
teen thousand militia in the neighborhood, and immediately 
exerted himself to teach them the art of war. 

54. During the latter pai't of the year 1775 two expe- 
ditions were sent against Canada ; one, consisting of three 
thousand men, was put under the command of General 
Schuyler, and went by the way of Lake Champlain ; the 
other, consisting of eleven hundred men, and commanded 
by General Arnold, went up the Kennebec River, and 
crossed the wilderness to Quebec. The soldiers under the 
command of Arnold suffered incredible hardships. For 
several days they were almost entii-ely destitute of food, 
and many of them were nearly starved to death. Yet 
these privations were borne with fortitude, and the men at 
length reached Quebec. 

55. An attack was finally made upon that place ; but 
General Arnold being wounded, and General Montgomery 
killed, it failed of success. After many vicissitudes, the 
American troops were obliged to return, without having 
accomplished the objects of the two expeditions in which 
they had been engaged. 

56. The spring of 1776 opened with favorable pros- 
pects for the Americans. General Washington managed 
so well, that in JIarch General Howe, with all the British 
troops, was forced to quit Boston. On the 17th the fleet 
set sail for Halifax, and the American troops entered the 
town. 

57. On the 4th of July of tliis year Congress made a 
solemn declaration that the people of America would sub- 
mit to the government of England no more, but that they 
would be a free and independent nation. This is called 
the Declaration of Independence. It was hailed by the 



88 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

inhabitants with the greatest joy, and the day is still cele- 
brated every 4th of July. From this time, each of the 
colonies became a state, and, joined together under the 
general government of Congress, they became a free na- 
tion, under the name of the United States of America. 



DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. 

Ix Congress, July 4, 1776. 
The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America. 

"When, in the course of human events, it becomes neces- 
sary for one people to dissolve the political bands which 
have connected them with another, and to assume among 
the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to 
which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, 
a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that 
they should declare the causes which impel them to the 
separation. 

We hold these truths to be self-evident : — That all 
men are created equal ; that they are endowed by their 
Creator with certain unalienable rights ; that among these 
are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness ; that, to 
secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, 
deriving th<nr just powers from the consent of the gov- 
erned ; that, whenever any form of government becomes 
destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to 
alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new government, 
laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its 
powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely 
to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, 
will dictate that governments long established should not 
be changed for light and transient causes ; and accordingly 
all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed 
to suffer while evils are sufferable, than to right them- 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 89 

selves by abolishing the forms to which they are accus- 
tomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, 
pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to 
reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it 
is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide 
new guards for their future security. Such has been the 
patient sufferance of these colonies ; and such is now the 
necessity which constrains them to alter their former sys- 
tems of government. The history of the present King of 
Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpa- 
tions, all having in direct object the establishment of an 
absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let 
facts be submitted to a candid world. 

He has refused his assent to laws the most wholesome 
and necessary for the public good. 

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immedi- 
ate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their 
operation till his assent should be obtained ; and when so 
suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. 
He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation 
of large districts of people, unless those people would 
relinquish the right of representation in the legislature 
— a right inestimable to them, and formidable to tyrants 
only. 

He has called together legislative bodies at places unu- 
sual, uncomfortable, and distant from the repository of 
their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing 
them into compliance with his measures. 

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for 
opposing, with manly firmness, his invasions on the rights 
of the people. 

He has refused, for a long time after such dissolutions, 
to cause others to be elected ; whereby the legislative 
powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the 



90 FIRST LESSONS IX HISTOKY. 

people at large for their exercise ; the state remaining, in 
the mean time, exposed to all the dangers of invasion from 
■without and convulsions ■within. 

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these 
states ; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturali- 
zation of foreigners, refusing to pass others to encourage 
their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new 
appropriations of lands. 

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by- 
refusing his assent to la^ws for establishing judiciary powers. 

Pie has made judges dependent on his will alone for the 
tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of 
their salaries. 

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent 
hither swarms of officers, to harass our people and eat 
out their substance. 

lie has kept among us, in times of peace, standing 
armies, without the consent of our legislatures. 

He has affiected to render the military independent of 
and superior to the civil power. 

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdic- 
tion foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by 
our laws ; giving his assent to their acts of pretended 
legislation, — 

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us : 

For protecting them, by a mock trial, from punishment 
for any murders which they should commit on tlie inhabi- 
tants of these states : 

For cutting off our trade ■with all parts of the world: 

For imposing taxes on us without our consent : 

For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of trial 
by jury : 

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended 
offijnces : 



THE REVOLUTIOXARY WAR. 91 

Foi" abolishing the free system of English laws in a 
neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary 
government, and enlarging its boundaries, so as to render 
it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing 
the same absolute rule into these colonies : » 

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valu- 
able laws, and altering, fundamentally, the forms of our 
governments : 

For suspending our own legislatui'es, and declaring 
themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all 
cases whatsoever. 

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out 
of his protection, and waging war against us. 

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned 
our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. 

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign 
mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, 
and tyranny, already begun Avith circumstances of cruelty 
and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, 
and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation. 

He has constrained our fellow-citizens, taken captive on 
the high seas, to bear arms against their country, to 
become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or 
to fall themselves by their hands. 

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and 
has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontier 
the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare 
is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and 
conditions. 

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned 
for redress in the most humble terms ; our repeated peti- 
tions have been answered only by repeated injury. A 
prince, whose character is thus marked by every act 
which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a 
free people. 



92 FIUST LKSSOXS IX HISTORY. 

Nor have we been wanting in attentions to our British 
brethren. We have ^\•amed them, from time to time, of 
attempts by their legislature to extend an uuwai'rantable 
jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the cir- 
cumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We 
liave appealed to their native justice and magnanimity; 
and we have conjured them, by the ties of our common 
kindred, to disavow these usui'pations, which would inevi- 
tably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They, 
too, have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consan- 
guinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity 
which denounces our sepai-ation, and hold them, as we 
hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends. 

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States 
of America, in General Congress assembled, appealing to 
the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our 
intentions, do, in the name and by tlie authority of the 
good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, 
that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, 
free and independent states ; that they are absolved from 
all allegiance to the British crown, and that all jjolitical 
connection between them and the state of Great Britain 
is, and ought to be, totally dissolved ; and that, as free 
and independent states, they have full power to levy war, 
conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and 
to do all other acts and things which independent states 
may of right do. And, for the support of this declaration, 
with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Provi- 
dence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our 
fortunes, and our sacred honor. JOHN HANCOCK 

NEW HAMPSHIRE. MASSACHUSETTS BAY. RHODE ISLAND, ETC. 

Josiah Bartlett, Samuel Adams, Stephen Hopkins, 

William "Whipple, John Adams, "NVilliara EUery. 

Matthew Thornton. Kobert Treat Paine, 
Elbridge Gerry. 



THE REVOLUTIONARY AVAR. 



93 



CONNECTICUT. 

lioger Sherman, 
Samuel Huntingdon, 
William Williams, 
Oliver Wolcott. 

NEW YORK. 

William Floyd, 
Philip Livingston, 
-Francis Lewis, 
Lewis Morris. 

NEW JERSEY. 

Richard Stockton, 
John Witherspoon, 
Francis Hopkinson, 
John Hart, 
Abraham Clark. 

PENNSYLVANIA. 

Kobert Morris, 
Eenjamin Rush, 



Benjamin Franklin, 
John Morton, 
, George Clymer, 
James Smith, 
George Taylor, 
James Wilson, 
George Ross. 

DELAWARE. 

Caesar Rodney, 
George Read, 
Thomas M'Kean. 

MARYLAND, 

Samuel Chase, 
William Paca, 
Thomas Stone, 
C. Carroll, of Carrollton 

VIRGINIA. 

George Wythe, 
Richard Henry Lee, 



Thomas Jefferson, 
Benjamin Harrison, 
Thomas Nelson, Jr., 
Francis Lightfoot Lee, 
Carter Braxton. 

NORTH CAROLINA. 

William Hooper, 
Joseph Hewes, 
John Penn. 

SOUTH CAROLINA. 

Edward Rutledge, 
Thomas Hey ward, Jr. 
Thomas Lynch, Jr., 
Arthur Middleton, 

GEORGIA. 

Button Gwinnett, 
Lyman Hall, 
George Walton. 



58. At this time the hopes and the courage of the coun- 
try were very high ; but these were soon depressed by 
great misfortunes. In August a powerful British army 
came, in ships, against New York. Washington was there, 
Avith many troops ; but after a great deal of fighting at 
Brooklyn and at White Plains, he was forced to quit the 
place, and give it up to the British. Several American 
forts were also taken, and the provincial army, now very 
much reduced, retreated to New Jersey. 

59. The British officers thought the war nearly finished, 
and large numbers of the American people feared that the 
power of England was about to triumph over the liberties 
of the country. One event, however, revived a little theu' 
sinking courage. In December, General Washington, 
being on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware, with the 



94 



FIRST LESSONS IN HISTOUY. 



American troops, suddenly crossed that river to Trenton. 
At this place there were about one thousand soldiers, who 
came from Hesse, in Germany, and were called Hessians. 




Washington crossing tho Delaware. 

They had been hired by the British, and came to this 
country to fight for them against the Americans. Wash- 
ington came suddenly upon them, and took nine hundi'ed 
prisoners. 

60. In January, 1777, Washington attacked some Brit- 
ish troops at Princeton, killed one hundred men, and took 
three hundred prisoners. In this battle, James Monroe, 
who was afterwards president of the United States, was 
wounded. Washington himself, whose bravery led him 
into the midst of the fight, was placed in great danger, but 
escaped unhurt. The British were so much astonished at 
these bold and sudden enterprises, that they retreated to 
New Brunswick, and left the American army to take up 
their winter quarters quietly at Morristown. 

61. In September of this year General Howe left New 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 95 

York with a strong British force, in a great many ships. 
These entered Chesapeake Bay, and the troops proceeded 
towards Philadelphia. Washington met them at every 
point, and fought several battles. But *the Amei-icans 
were obliged to retreat, and the British entered Philadel- 
pliia on the 26th. 

62. About the time that these events occurred, others 
of great importance were taking place in the north. Gen- 
eral Burgoyne, a famous British officer, set out from Can- 
ada with one of the finest armies that was ever known, 
intending to proceed to New York across the country, by 
way of Lake Champlain. General Gates assembled a 
considerable force to oppose him. The brave inhabitants 
left their farms, and came in hundreds to assist him. Sev- 
eral skirmishes took place, and on the 16th of August, a 
detachment sent by Burgoyne to destroy some stores at 
Bennington was totally defeated. 

63. On the 18th of September a fierce battle was fought 
at Stillwater, near Sai-atoga. On the 7th of October an- 
other battle was fought. The greatest bravery was dis- 
played on both sides, and night only terminated the conflict. 
Burgoyne retreated to the heights of Sai-atoga, and the 
Americans pursued him. The situation of the British 
troojis was now distressing. Many of their officers had 
been killed ; they were surrounded by active enemies, and 
they had only food enough left for three days. Having 
no hope of escape, they wei-e obliged to surrender ; and on 
the 17th of October, the whole anny, consisting of six 
thousand men, laid down their arms. This was a gi-eat 
event, and, amid many losses and reverses, sustained the 
hopes of the American people. 

64. The year 1778 opened with an event which occa- 
sioned great joy in America. In February the govern- 
ment of France acknowledged the independence of the 



96 FIKST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

colonies, and promised to send ships, troops, cannon, guns, 
and ammunition, to assist them. The government of 
Great Britain, hearing of this, and being alarmed by the 
defeat and capture of their favorite general, Burgoyne, 
and his army, determined, if possible, to make up the 
quarrel with America. Accordingly they sent some men 
to Philadelphia, to arrange the business with Congress. 

65. They offered to grant all that the Americans had 
claimed, to lay no more taxes, and to repeal all their un- 
just and offensive laws. But now that the people had 
suffered so much, Congi-ess would not listen to these terms. 
The English agents, finding that they could not succeed in 
this way, attempted to bribe Joseph Reed, one of the 
members. They offered him a great deal of money, and 
a rich office, if he would bring about a reconciliation be- 
tween the two countries. 

66. But Mr. Keed was an honest man: he loved his 
country, and would not sell his conscience for gold or 
power. He replied to the unworthy offer, "I am not 
worth purchasing ; but poor as I am, your king has not 
money enough to buy me." Such noble conduct as this 
was not uncommon among the true-hearted patriots of our 
glorious revolution. The brave fighting, the daring cour- 
age, the bold enterprise of our soldiers did not contribute 
more to the salvation of our country, in that day of trial, 
than the steadfast truth and fidelity of our public men. 

67. In June that part of the British anny which was in 
Philadelphia left that city, and marched across the country 
to New York. Washington, with his troops, forsook his 
log huts in the woods, and pursued them. At Monmouth, 
a fierce battle was fought, in wliich the British had the 
worst of the battle, five hundred of their men being killed 
and wounded. Sir Henry Clinton, the British commander, 
stole away with his troops by night, and escaped to New 
York. 



THE REVOLUTIONART -VVAR. 97 

68. In July Count d'Estaing came with a large French 
fleet, to assist the Americans ; but he effected nothing, and 
at the close of the season sailed for the West Indies. 

69. Wyoming, a beautiful little district in Pennsylvania, 
situated in what is the present county of Luzerne, em- 
braced a few small villages, the people of which were 
almost wholly occupied in agriculture. They were sur- 
rounded with charming forests, and bright meadows, and 
green hills, and sparkling rivulets ; all around was happi- 
ness, peace, and plenty. But this lovely spot was destined 
to become the scene of cruelties scarcely equalled in the 
history of human warfare. 

70. The British officers and soldiers had become very 
bitter in their feelings towards tlie Americans. The cap- 
ture of Burgoyne had wounded their pride, and their gen- 
eral bad fortune irritated and exasperated them. Above 
all, the French, whom they hated most cordially, had now 
taken part with the Americans. Acting under the influ- 
ence of their imbittered feelings, they conducted the war, 
in many instances, rather as if they were fighting with 
savages than with civilized men. 

71. The people of Wyoming had sent some of their 
men to fight against the British, and for this they were to 
be scourged. A band of four hundred Indians, and about 
as many tories, were sent against them. The inhabitants 
heard of their danger, but too late for effectual defence. 
They, however, threw up some hasty breastworks, and gath- 
ered their families into them. The enemy at length appeared 
before one of the forts, and pretended that they wished to 
make peace. They invited the commander to come out 
for this purpose ; so he and the soldiers went to meet them, 
at a place appointed in the woods ; but when they i-eached 
the spot not an Indian nor a tory was there ; they pressed 
on through the dark paths of the forests, but found no one. 

9 



98 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

72. At last they saw themselves surrounded by the 
enemy. The savages were in every bush. They sprang 
out upon them, uttering terrible yells. All but sixty, of 
four hundred men, were murdered with the most horrible 
cruelty. The enemy then went back to the fort, and, to 
frighten the people within, hurled over the gates the scalps 
of their husbands, brothers, and fathers. They now in- 
quired of the leader of the tories what terms he would 
give them. He answered only, " The hatchet ! " They 
fought as long as possible, but the enemy soon enclosed 
the fort with dry wood, and then set it on fire. The un- 
happy people within were involved in the flames, and 
they all perished — men, women, and children — in the 
awful blaze. The whole Wyoming countiy was now rav- 
aged. The people were scalped ; the harvests, houses, 
and orchards were burned ; even the tongues of the horses 
and cattle were cut out, and the poor creatures left to 
perish. 

73. The year 1779 was distinguished by no remarkable 
occurrences. The English took Savannah ; and, when 
the Fi'ench and Americans attempted to recapture the city, 
they were repulsed with severe loss. General Tiyon 
afterwards proceeded to New Haven, and burned the towns 
of Fairfield and Norwalk. 

74. In February, 1779, Governor Tryon, with fifteen 
hundred men, proceeded from Kingsbridge, thii'teen miles 
above New York, into Connecticut, as far as Horseneck, a 
part of Greenwich, where he plundered the inhabitants, 
and destroyed their salt works. General Putnam, hap- 
pening to be in that vicinity, hastily collected a small 
number of men, whom he employed at firing upon the 
enemy with a couple of field-pieces, from the high ground 
near the meeting house. At length, however, a detach- 
ment of the enemy was ordered to charge upon Putnam 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



99 



and his men. Ordering tiie latter to make good their 
retreat to a neighboring swamp, he himself j)ut spurs to 
his horse, and plunged down the precipice at the church. 
This was so steep as to have artificial stairs, composed of 
nearly one hundred stone steps, for the accommodation of 
worshippers ascending to the sanctuary. On the arrival 
of the dragoons at the brow of the hill they paused, 




Escape of Putnam at Horseneck. 

thinking it too dangerous to follow the steps of the ad- 
venturous hero. Before any could go round the hill and 
descend, Putnam had escaped, uninjured by the many 
balls which were fired at him in his descent. But one 
touched him, and that otily passed through his hat. 

75. In August Genej-al Sullivan marched against the 
Indians in the western part of the State of New York. 
These had taken part with the British, and had commit- 
ted many acts of cruelty and violence upon the inhabitants 
of the country. The American troops went to chastise 
them for this conduct. At this time the whole country 



100 FIRST LESSOXS IX HISTORY. 

from Utica westward, was inhabited only by savages. 
Yet General Sullivan found that these had very comfort- 
able houses, a great many peach and apple trees, and very 
fine fields of corn. But it was his duty to destroy them. 
He set the villages on fire, and laid the whole country 
waste. He then returned with his men to his quarters in 
Pennsylvania. 

76. On the 12th of May, 1780, Charleston, in South 
CaroUna, surrendered to the British, after a gallant de- 
fence by General Lincoln. Several battles took place 
during the season in North and South Carolina, in most 
of which the Americans were defeated. 

77. In July, Count de Jlochambeau, with six thousand 
French troops, arrived in Rhode Island, and marched 
across the country to join Washington, near New York. 
These troops were welcomed by the inhabitants with great 
joy. When they encamped at night, though most of them 
were weary, there were many of th(Mn still ready to sjjcnd 
an hour in amusement. Some green spot was selected, a 
violin was brought, and the village maidens joined gayly 
in tlie dance with the polite Frenchmen. 

78. Washington had hoped, with the assistance of the 
French troops, to retake New York ; but the British 
assembled so gi-eat a force there that it was thought im- 
prudent to undertake it. Thus the season passed, the 
Americans having gained nothing, and lost much. The 
hopes of the country were indeed very much depressed ; 
nor did it revive them to learn that one of their generals 
had become a traitor to his country. This was Benedict 
Arnold, the same man who led an army into Canada in 
1775. He was a very bold and intrepid man ; but he 
was selfish and unprincipled. He held the command of a 
very important fort at West Point. He signified to the 
British his willingness to give up the fort, and Major 



THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 



101 



Andre, a fine young officer, was sent jirivately to make a 
bargain with him. It was agreed that Arnold should put 
the British in possession of the fort, and that they should 
give him fifty thousand dollars and a general's command 
in the British army. 

79. "When all things were arranged, Andre secretly 
set out to return ; but on arriving at Tarrytown, a place 
thirty miles north of New York, he was met by three 
militia soldiers, John Paulding, David "Williams, and Isaac 
"Van "Wert. He showed them his passport, and they suf- 
fered him to continue his route. Immediately after this, 
one of these three men, thinking that he perceived some- 
thing singular in the person of the traveller, called him 




Capture of Major AndrA. 

back. Andre asked them Avhere they were from. . " From 
down below," they replied, intending to say from New 
York. Too frank to suspect a snare, Andre immediately 
answered, " And so am I." Upon this they arrested him, 
when he declared himself to be a British officer, and 
9 * 



102 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

offered them, his watch, and all the gold he had with him, 
to be released. But, poor and obscure as these soldiers 
were, they Avere not to be bribed. Resolutely refusing 
his offers, they conducted him to Lieutenant Colonel Jame- 
son, their commanding officer. Jameson injudiciously 
permitted Andi-e to write to Arnold, who immediately 
escaped on board the British sloop-of-war Vulture, and 
took refuge in New York. Andre was tried and condemned 
as a spy, and hung upon a gallows. The name of Bene- 
dict Arnold has ever since been branded with infamy. 

80. Durhig the spring of 1781 a great many battles 
and skirmishes were fought in North and South Carolina. 
The British were commanded by Lord Cornwallis, and 
the Americans by General Greene. The latter were fre- 
quently defeated, yet they were never discouragetl ; and 
the result of the whole campaign was highly advantageous 
to the American cause. 

81. About this time Arnold, the traitor, was sent with 
some British troops against New London. They took 
Fort Griswold by assault, and after the garrison had sur- 
rendered, murdered nearly the whole of them in cold 
blood. They then burned New London to the ground, and 
returned to New York. But the period of British triumph 
was fast drawing to a close. 

82. In the summer of 1781 Lord Cornwallis was sta- 
tioned at Yorktown, in Virginia, with ten thousand British 
troops. Washington was near New York, making prep- 
arations to attack that city, where Sir Henry Clinton held 
the command. But his army being too small, he deter- 
mined to march to the south against Cornwallis. Accord- 
ingly he set out with the army; and before Sir Henry 
Clinton suspected his design, he had already crossed the 
Delaware. AYashington marched on, and was joined by 
a large number of French troops, who had just arrived in 
the Chesapeake, under Count de Grassc. 



THE CONSTITUTION. 103 

83. The combined army amounted to sixteen thousand 
men. Cornwallis was sheltered by strong fortifications ; 
but the Americans and Frencli drew near, planted their 
cannon, and on the 9 th of October began to pour in their 
shot upon him. A tremendous cannonade was now kept 
up night and day. The walls of the British fort were 
battered down, their cannon were silenced, and their men 
slaughtered by hundreds. CornwaUis attempted to escape, 
but did not succeed. At length, finding all resistance 
vain, he offered to capitulate, and on the 19 th the whole 
army surrendered. 

84. This splendid victory, in effect, closed the wai\ 
The British government saw that America could not be 
conquered. Accordingly they abandoned the attempt, 
acknowledged the uidependence of the United States, 
and in 1783 a treaty of peace between the two nations 
was signed. The British troops now took their departure, 
and our country thenceforward assumed her station among 
the independent nations of the earth. 



Vm. — ADOPTION OF THE COXSTITUTIOX OF THE 
UNITED STATES. 

1. The war of the revolution was now closed, and the 
British troops had retired from the country. It is scarcely 
jDOssible for us to conceive of the sufferings of the people 
during this struggle. Thousands of them were killed ; 
to^vns were burned ; the lands lay uncultivated ; and many 
of the churches had ceased to be places of worship, and 
had become barracks for soldiers. Hundreds of families 
had been broken up ; thousands had been reduced from 
wealth to poverty ; widows were mourning for their hus- 



104 FIRST LESSOXS IX HISTORY. 

bands who were slain ; children were thrown upon the 
world without protection ; and society, having lost its char- 
acter i'or pure morality, was stained with profligacy and 
vice. Besides all this, though our country had gained 
peace and independence, it was still without a regular gov- 
ernment. 

2. No nation can exist without a government. No family 
can live comfortably together without some one to govern 
them ; no school could be kept together for a day without 
some one to govern it. In families and schools certain 
rules are established for their government ; and when these 
are complied Avith every thing goes on pleasantly. So it is 
with states and nations. If there were no laws, or nobody 
to put them in force, the strong would rob the weak of 
their possessions, the cunning would deceive the simple, and 
thus a large part of the community would become the vic- 
tims of injustice, cruelty, and crime. Happily, we had 
wise and good men at this time, as well as brave ones dur- 
ing the war. These men, seeing the necessities of the 
country, called a convention, consisting of delegates from 
the thirteen colonies. The delegates, assembled at Phila- 
delpliia, in May, 1787, and drew up a plan of government 
which is called the Constitution of the United States. This 
was submitted to Congress in September of the same year, 
and being ratified by the people in the several states, went 
into operation in 178'J; and since that time it has con- 
tinued to be the foundation of our national government. 

3. The Constitution of the United States, as will be 
seen, provides that the government shall consist of three 
branches, namely, the legislative, or law-making power, 
the executive, and the judiciary. 

4. The legislative branch is vested in a Congress, con- 
sisting of a Senate and House of Representatives. These 
two houses meet in the Capitol at Washington, to make 
laws for the United States. The Senate consists of tAvo 



THE CONSTITUTION. • 105 

members from each of the states, chosen by the several 
state legislatures. They are chosen for six years. The 
members of the House of Representatives are chosen in 
districts by the people of the several states. At the pres- 
ent time (1855) about ninety thousand inhabitants elect 
one representative. They are chosen for two years. 

5. At the head of the executive department is the pres- 
ident of the United States, whose duty it is to see that the 
business of government is executed tliroughout the whole 
country according to the laws made by Congress. He is 
assisted in the discharge of his duty by five secretaries. 
One of these is called the secretary of state, another the 
secretary of the treasury, another tlie secretary of war, 
another the secretary of the navy, and a fifth, called the 
secretary of the interior. These secretaries, with the post- 
master general and the attorney general, form the " presi- 
dent's cabinet." 

6. The judiciary consists of several judges, whose duty 
it is to explain and apply the laws of Congress. 



THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF 
AMERICA ; 

Framed by a convention of delegates, of which Washing- 
ton was the President, Avliich met at Philadelphia, from 
the States of New Hampshire, Massachusetts,^ Connecti- 
cut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, 
Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, 
and Georgia; and adopted 17th September, 1787. 

Preamble. 

"We, the people of the United States, in order to form 
a more perfect union, estabhsh justice, insure domestic 
tranquillity, provide for the common defence, promote the 

1 Note. — Rhode Island was not represented in the convention. 



106 FIRST LESSON'S IX HISTORY. 

general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to 
ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this 
Constitution for the United States of America. 

AUTICLE I. 

Sect. I. — 1. All legislative powers herein granted 
shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, Avhich 
shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives. 

Sect. II. — 1. The House of Representatives shall be 
composed of members chosen every second year, by the 
people of tlie several states ; and the electors in each 
state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of 
the most numerous branch of the state legislature. 

2. No person sliall be a representative who shall not 
have attained to the age of twenty-five years, and been 
seven years a citizen of the United States, and who shall 
not, when elected, be an inhabitant of tliat state in which 
he shall be chosen. 

3. Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned 
among the several states which may be included within 
this Union, according to their res2)ective numbers, which 
shall be determined by adding to the whole number of 
free persons, including those bound to service for a term 
of years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of 
all other persons. The actual enumeration shall be made 
within three years after the first meeting of the Congress 
of the United States, and within every subsequent term 
of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct. 
The number of representatives shall not exceed one for 
every thirty thousand, but each state shall have at least 
one representative ; and until such enumeration shall be 
made, the state of New Hampshire shall be entitled to 
choose three ; Massachusetts, eight ; Rhode Island and 
Providence Plantations, one ; Connecticut, five ; New 



THE CONSTITUTION. 107 

York, six ; New Jersey, four ; Pennsylvania, eight ; Dela- 
ware, one ; Maryland, six ; Virginia, ten ; North CaroUna, 
five ; South Carolina, five ; and Georgia, three. 

4. When vacancies hapi^en in the representation from 
any state, the executive authority thereof shall issue writs 
of election to fill up such vacancies. 

5. The House of Representatives shall choose their 
speaker and other officers, and shall have the sole power 
of impeachment. 

Sect. III. — 1. The Senate of the United States shall 
be composed of two senators from each state, chosen by 
the legislature thereof, for six years ; and each senator 
shall have one vote. 

2. Immediately after they shall be assembled in con- 
sequence of the first election, they shall be divided, as 
equally as may be, into three classes. The seats of the 
senators of the first class shall be vacated at the expira- 
tion of the second year ; of the second class, at the expi- 
ration of the fourth year ; and of the third class, at the 
expiration of the sixth year, so that one third may be 
chosen every second year ; and if vacancies happen, by 
resignation or otherwise, during the recess of the legisla- 
ture of any state, the executive thereof may make tempo- 
rary appointments until the next meeting of the legislature, 
which shall then fill such vacancies. 

3. No person shall be a senator who shall not have 
attained to the age of thirty years, and been nine years a 
citizen of the United States ; and who shall not, when 
elected, be an inhabitant of that state for which he shall 
be chosen. 

4. The vice president of the United States shall be 
president of the Senate ; but shall have no vote, unless 
they be equally divided. 

5. The Senate shall choose their other officers, and also 



108 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

a president pro tempore, in the absence of the vice presi- 
dent, or when he shall exercise the office of president of 
the United States. 

6. The Senate shall have the sole power to try all 
impeachments. When sitting for that purpose, they shall 
be on oath or affirmation. When the president of tiie 
United States is tried, the chief justice shall preside ; and 
no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of 
two thirds of the members present. 

7. Judgment, in case of impeachment, shall not extend 
further than to removal from office, and disqualification 
to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under 
the United States ; but the party convicted shall, never- 
theless, be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment, 
and punishment, according to law. 

Sect. IV. — 1. The times, places, and manner of hold- 
ing elections for senators and rei^resentatives shall be 
prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof; but 
the Congress may at any time, by law, make or alter such 
regulations, except as to the places of choosing senators. 

2. The Congress shall assemble at leas^t once in every 
year ; and such meeting shall be on the first Monday in 
December, unless they shall by law appoint a different day. 

Sect. V. — 1. Each house shall be the judge of the 
elections, returns, and qualifications of its own members ; 
and a majority of each shall constitute a quorum to do 
business ; but a smaller number may adjoura from day to 
day, and may be authorized to compel the attendance of 
absent members, in such manner and under such penalties 
as each house may provide. 

2. Each house may determine the rules of its proceed- 
ings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with 
the concurrence of two thirds, expel a member. 

3. Each house shall keep a journal of its proceedings, 



THE CONSTITUTION. 109 

and from time to time publish the same, excepting such 
parts as may in their judgment require secrecy ; and the 
yeas and nays of the members of either house, on any 
question, shall, at the desire of one fifth of those present, 
be entered on the journal. 

4. Neither house, during the session of Congress, shall, 
■without the consent of the other, adjourn for more than 
three days, nor to any other place than that in which the 
two houses shall be sitting. 

Sect. VI. — 1. The senators and representatives shall 
receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained 
by law, and paid out of the treasury of the United States. 
They shall in all cases, except treason, felony, and breach 
of the peace, be privileged from arrest during their 
attendance at the session of their respective houses, and 
in going to or returning from the same ; and for any 
speech or debate in either house they shall not be ques- 
tioned in any other place. 

2. No senator or representative shall, during the time 
for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil office, 
under the authority of the United States, which shall have 
been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been 
increased, during such time ; and no person holding any 
office under the United States shall be a member of either 
house during his continuance in office. 

Sect. VII. — 1. All bills for raising revenue shall 
originate in the House of Eepresentatives ; but the Sen- 
ate may propose or concur with amendments, as on other 
bills. 

2. Every bill which shall have passed the House of 
Representatives and the Senate shall, before it become a 
law, be presented to the president of the United States. 
If he approve, he shall sign it ; but if not, he shall return 
it, with his objections, to that house in which it shall have 
10 



110 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

originated, who shall enter the objection at large on their 
journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If, after such re- 
consideration, two thirds of that house shall agree to pass 
the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to 
the other house, by Avhich it shall likewise be reconsid- 
ered, and if approved by two thirds of that house, it shall 
become a law. But, in all such cases, the votes of both 
houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the 
names of the persons voting lor and against the bill shall 
be entered on the journal of each house respectively. If 
any bill shall not be returned by the president within ten 
days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented 
to him, the same shall be a law in like manner as if he 
had signed it, unless the Congress, by their adjournment, 
prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law. 

3. Every order, resolution, or vote, to which the con- 
currence of the Senate and House of Representatives may 
be necessary, (except on a question of adjournment,) shall 
be presented to the president of the United States ; and, 
before the same shall take effect, shall be approved by 
him, or, being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by 
two thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, 
according to the rules and limitations prescribed in the 
case of a bill. 

Sect. VIII. — The Congress shall have power — 

1. To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises ; 
to pay the debts and provide for the common defence and 
general welfai'e of the United States ; but all duties, 
imposts, and excises shall be uniform throughout the 
United States : 

2. To borrow money on the credit of the United States : 

3. To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and 
among the several states, and with the Indian tribes : 

4. To estabUsh a uniform rule of naturalization, and 



THE CONSTITUTION. Ill 

uniform laws on tlie subject of bankruptcies, throughout 
the United States : 

5. To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of 
foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures : 

6. To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the 
securities and current coin of the United States : 

7. To establish post offii^es and post roads : 

8. To promote the progress of science and useful arts, 
by securing for limited times, to authors and inventors, 
the exclusive right to their respective writings and discov- 
eries : 

9. To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court : 
to define and punish piracies and felonies committed on 
the high seas, and offences against the law of nations : 

10. To declare war, grant letters of marque and re- 
prisal, and make rules concerning captures on land and 
water : 

11. To raise and support armies ; but no appropriation 
of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two 
years : 

12. To provide and maintain a navy : 

13. To make rules for the government and regulation 
of the land and naval forces : 

14. To provide for calling forth the militia to execute 
the laws of the Union, suppress insurrections, and repel 
invasions : 

15. To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining 
the militia, and for governing such part of them as may 
be employed in the service of the United States, reserving 
to the states respectively the appointment of the officers, 
and the authority of ti'aining the militia according to the 
discipline prescribed by Congress : 

16. To exercise exclusive legislation, in all cases what- 
soever, over such district (not exceeding ten miles square) 



112 FIRST LESSON'S IX HISTORY, 

as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance 
of Congress, become the seat of government of the United 
States ; and to exercise like authority over all places pur- 
chased, by the consent of the legislature of the state in 
which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, maga- 
zines, arsenals, dock-yards, and other needful buildings : — 
and, 

17. To make all laws which shall be necessary and 
proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, 
and all other powers vested by this constitution in the 
government of the United States, or in any department or 
officer thereof. 

Sect. IX. — 1. The migration or importation of such 
persons as any of the states now existing shall think proper 
to admit shall not be prohibited by the Congi-ess prior to 
the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax 
or duty may be imposed on such importation, not exceeding 
ten dollars for each person. 

2. The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not 
be suspended, unless when, in cases of rebellion or invasion, 
the public safety may require it. 

o. No bill of attainder, or ex post facto law, shall be 
passed. 

4. No capitation or other direct tax shall be laid, unless 
in proportion to the census or enumeration herein before 
directed to be taken. 

5. No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported 
from any state. No preference shall be given, by any 
regulation of commerce or revenue, to the ports of one 
state over those of another ; nor shall vessels bound to or 
from one state be obliged to enter, clear, or pay duties, in 
another. 

6. No money shall be drawn from the treasury but in 
consequence of appropriations made by law ; and a regular 



THE CONSTITUTION. IIS 

Statement and account of the receipts and expenditures of 
all public money shall be published, from time to time. 

7. No title of nobility shall be granted by the United 
States, and no person holding any office of pi'ofit or trust 
under them shall, without the consent of the Congress, 
accept of any present, emolument, office, or title of any 
kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state. 

Sect. X. — 1. No state shall enter into any treat}-, alli- 
ance, or confederation ; grant letters of marque and re- 
prisal ; coin money ; emit bills of credit ; malce any thing 
but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts ; 
pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law im- 
pairing the obligation of contracts ; or grant any title of 
nobility. 

2. No state shall, without the consent of the Congress, 
lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except 
what may be absolutely necessary for executing its inspec- 
tion laws ; and the net produce of all duties and imposts, 
laid by any state on imports or exports, shall be for the 
use of the treasury of the United States, and all such laws 
shall be subject to the revision and control of the Congress. 
No state shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any 
duty of tonnage, keep troops or ships of war in time of 
peace, enter into any agreement or compact with another 
state, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless 
actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not 
admit of delay. 

Article II. 

Sect. I. — 1. The executive power shall be vested in 
a president of the United States of America. He shall 
hold his office during the term of four years, and, together 
with the vice president, chosen for the same term, be elected 
as follows : 

2. Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the 
10* 



114 FIRST LE3S0XS IX HISTORY. 

legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors equal 
to the whole number of senators and representatives to 
which the state may be entitled in the Congress ; but no 
senator, or representative, or person holding an office of 
trust or profit under the United States, shall be appointed 
an elector. 

3. The electors shall meet in thoir respective states, 
and vote by ballot for two persons, of whom one, at least, 
shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with them- 
selves. And they shall make a list of all the persons 
voted for, and of the number of votes for each ; which list 
they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the scat 
of the government of the United States, directed to the 
president of the Senate. The president of the Senate 
shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Repre- 
sentatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall 
then be counted. The person having the greatest number 
of votes shall be the president, if such number be a ma- 
jority of the whole number of electors appointed ; and if 
there be more than one who have such majority, and have 
an equal number of votes, then the House of Representa- 
tives shall immediately choose, by ballot, one of them for 
president ; and if no person have a majority, then, from 
the five highest on the list, the said house shall, in like 
manner, choose the president. But, in choosing the presi- 
dent, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation 
from each state having one vote ; a quorum from each 
state shall consist of a member or members from two thirds 
of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be 
necessary to a choice. In every case, after the choice of the 
president, the person liaving the greatest number of votes 
of the electors shall be the vice president. But, if there 
should remain two or more who have equal votes, the Sen- 
ate shall choose from them, by ballot, the vice president. 



THE CONSTITUTION. 115 

4. The Congress may determine the time of choosing 
the electors, and the day on which they shall give their 
votes ; which day shall be the same throughout the United 
States. 

5. No person, except a natural-born citizen, or a citizen 
of the United States at the time of the adoption of this 
constitution, shall be ehgible to the office of president ; 
neither shall any person be eligible to that ofBce who shall 
not have attained to the age of thirty-five years, and been 
fourteen years a resident within the United States. 

6. In case of the removal of the president from office, 
or of his death, resignation, or inability to discharge the 
powers and duties of the said office, the same shall devolve 
on the vice president ; and the Congress may, by law, 
provide for the case of removal, death, resignation, or ina- 
bility, both of the president and vice president, declaring 
Avhat officer shall then act as president ; and such officer 
shall act accordingly, until the disability be removed, or a 
president shall be elected. 

7. The president shall, at stated times, receive for his 
services a compensation, which shall neither be increased 
nor diminished during the period for which he shall have 
been elected ; and he shall not receive within that period 
any other emolument from the United States, or any of 
them. 

8. Before he enter on the execution of his office, he 
shall take the following oath or affirmation : — 

9. " I do solemnly swear (or affii-m) that I will faith- 
fully execute the office of President of the United States, 
and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and 
defend the constitution of the United States." 

Sect. II. — 1. The president shall be commander-in- 
chief of the army and navy of the United States, and of 
the militia of the several states, when called into the actual 



116 FIRST LESSONS IX HISTORY. 

service of the United States ; lie may require the opinion, 
in writing, of the principal officer, in each of the executive 
departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of 
their respective offices ; and he shall have power to grant 
reprieves and pardons for offences against the United 
States, except in cases of impeachment. 

2. He shall have power, by and with the advice and 
consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds 
of the senators present concur ; and he shall nominate, and 
by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall 
appoint, ambassadors, other public ministers, and consuls, 
judges of the supreme court, and all other officers of the 
United States, whose appointments are not herein other- 
wise provided for, and which shall be established by law. 
But the Congress may, by law, vest the appointment of 
such inferior officers as they think projier in the president 
alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments. 

3. The president shall have power to fill up all vacancies 
that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by grant- 
ing commissions which shall expire at the end of their next 
session. 

Sect. HI. — 1. He shall, from time to time, give to the 
Congress information of the state of the Union, and recom- 
mend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge 
necessary and expedient ; he may, on extraordinary occa- 
sions, convene both houses, or either of them ; and in case 
of disagreement between them with respect to the time of 
adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall 
think proper ; he shall receive ambassadors and other 
public ministers ; he shall take care that the laws be faith- 
fully executed ; and shall commission all the officers of the 
United States. 

Sect. IV. — 1. The president, vice president, and all 
civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from 



THE CONSTITUTION. 117 

office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, brib- 
ery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. 

Article III. 

Sect. I. — 1. The judicial power of the United States 
shall be vested in one supreme court, and in such inferior 
courts as the Congress may, from time to time, ordain and 
establish. The judges, both of the supreme and inferior 
courts, shall hold their offices during good behavior ; and 
shall, at stated times, receive for their services a compen- 
sation which shall not be diminished during their continu- 
ance in office. 

Sect. II. — 1. The judicial power shall extend to all 
cases in law and equity arising under this constitution, the 
laws of the United States, and treaties made, or which shall 
be made, under their authority ; to all cases affiscting am- 
bassadors, other public ministers, and consuls ; to all cases 
of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction ; to controversies to 
which the United States shall be a party ; to controversies 
between two or more states ; between a state and citizens 
of another state ; between citizens of different states ; be- 
tween citizens of the same state claiming lands under grants 
of different states ; and between a state, or the citizens 
thereof, and foreign states, citizens, or subjects. 

2. In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public minis- 
ters, and consuls, and those in which a state shall be a party, 
the supreme court shall have original jurisdiction. In all 
the other cases before mentioned, the supreme court shall 
have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with 
such exceptions, and under such regulations, as the Con- 
gress shall make. 

3. The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeach- 
ment, sliall be by jury, and such trial shall be held in the 
state where the said crimes shall have been committed ; 



118 FIRST LESSONS IX niSTOKT. 

but when not committed within any state, the trial shall be 
at such place or places as the Congress may by law have 
directed. 

Sect. III. — 1. Treason against the United States shall 
consist in levying war against them, or in adhering to their 
enemies, giving tiiem aid and comfort. No person shall be 
convicted of treason, unless on the testimony of two wit- 
nesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open 
court. 

2. The Congress shall have power to declare the punish- 
ment of treason ; but no attainder of treason shall work 
corruption of blood, or forfeiture, except during the life of 
the person attainted. 

Article IV. 

Sect. I. — 1. Full faith and credit shall be given in 
each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceed- 
ings, of every other state. And the Congress may, by 
general laws, prescribe the manner in which such acts, 
records, and proceedings, shall be proved, and the effect 
thereof. 

Sect. II. — 1. The citizens of each state sljall be en- 
titled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the 
sevei'al states. 

2. A pei'son charged in any state with treason, felony or 
other crime, who shall flee from justice, and be found in 
another state, shall, on demand of the executive authority 
of the state from which he fled, be delivered up, to be 
removed to the state having jurisdiction of the crime. 

3. No p rson held to service or labor in one state, under 
the laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in consequence 
of any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such 
service or labor ; ])ut shall be delivered up on claim of the 
party to whom such service or hibor may be due. 



THE CONSTITUTION. 119 

Sect. III. — 1. New states may be admitted by the 
Congress into this Union ; but no new states shall be formed 
or erected within the jurisdiction of any other state, nor 
any state be formed by the junction of two or more states, 
or parts of states, without the consent of the legislatures of 
the states concerned, as well as of the Congress. 

2. The Congress shall have poAver to dispose of, and 
make all needful rules and regulations respecting, the terri- 
tory or other property belonging to the United States ; and 
nothing in this constitution shall be so construed as to 
prejudice any claims of the United States, or any particulai* 
state. 

Sect. IV. — 1. The United States shall guarantee to 
every state in this Union a republican form of government, 
and shall protect each of them against invasion ; and, on 
application of the legislature, or of the executive (when the 
legislature cannot be convened), against domestic violence. 

Article V. 

1. The Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses 
shall deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this 
constitution ; oi", on the application of the legislatures of 
two thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for 
proposing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid 
to all intents and purposes, as part of this constitution, when 
ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several 
states, or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the 
one or the other mode of ratification may be proposed by 
the Congress ; provided, that no amendment which may 
be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and 
eight shall in any manner affect the first and fourth clauses 
in the ninth section of the first article ; and that no state, 
without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage 
in the Senate. 



120 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

Article VI. 

1. All debts contracted and engagements entered into, 
before the adoption of this constitution, shall be as valid 
against the United States under this constitution as under 
the confederation. 

2. This constitution, and the laws of the United States 
which shall be made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties 
made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the 
United States, shall be the supreme law of the land ; and 
the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, any thing 
in the constitution or laws of any state to the contrarj^ not- 
withstanding. 

3. The senators and representatives before mentioned, 
and the members of the sevei'al state legislatures, and all 
executive and judicial officers, both of the United States 
and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affir- 
mation to support this constitution ; but no religious test 
shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or 
public ti'ust under the United States. 

Article VII. 

1. The ratification of the conventions of nine states shall 
be sufficient for the establishment of this constitution be- 
tween the states so ratifying the same. 

Done in convention, by the unanimous consent of tlie states 
present, the seventeenth day of September, in the year 
of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty- 
seven, and of the independence of the United States of 
America the twelfth. In witness whereof, we have 
hereunto subscribed our names. 

GEORGE WASHINGTON, Presid^if, 

and Deputy from Virginia. 

The constitution was ratified by the prescribed number 



THE COXSTITUTIOX. 



121 



of states in 1788, and went into operation in 1789. Ver- 
mont, the first of the new states which joined the Union, 
gave her assent early in 1791. The number of delegates 
chosen to the convention was sixty-five ; ten did not attend ; 
sixteen declined signing the constitution, or left the con- 
vention before it was ready to be signed. Thirty-nine 
sisrned, as foUoAvs : — 



NEW HAMPSHIRE. 

John Langdon, 
Nicholas Gilman. 

MASSACHUSETTS. 

Nathaniel Gorman, 
Rufus King. 

CONNECTICUT. 

Wm. Samuel Johnson, 
Roger Sherman. 



PENNSYLVANIA. 

Benjamin Franklin, 
Thomas Mifflin, 
Robert Morris, 
George Clymer, 
Thomas Fitzsimons, 
Jared IngersoU, 
James Wilson, 
Gouverneur Morris. 



Daniel Carroll. 

VIRGINIA. 

John Blair, 
James Madison, Jr. 



NEW YORK 

Alexander Hamilton. "^".^^ Dickinson, 
Richard Bassett, 

NEW JERSEY. 



"William Livingston, 
David Bear ley, 
William Paterson, 
Jonathan Dayton. 

Attest, 



NORTH CAROLINA. 

William Blount, 
Rich'd Dobbs Spaight, 
Hugh Williamson. 

DELAWARE. 
„ ^ , SOUTH CAROLINA. 

George Read, 

Gunning Bedford, Jr.,"^"^^^ Rutledge, 

Charles Cotesworth 

Pinckney, 
Charles Pinckney, 
Pierce Butler. 



Jacob Broom. 



MARYLAND. 

James M'Henry, Georgia. 

Daniel of St. Thomas William Few, 
Jenifer, Abraham Baldwin. 

WILLIAM JACKSON, Secretary. 



AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION. 
At the first session of the first Congress, twelve amend- 
ments to the constitution were recommended to the states, 
ten of which were adopted; the others have since been 
adopted. 

Art. 1. Congress shall make no law respecting an estab- 
lishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise there- 
11 



122 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

of; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press ; or 
the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to 
petition the government for a redress of grievances. 

Art. 2. A well-regulated militia being necessary to the 
security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and 
bear arms shall not be infringed. 

Art. 3. No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered 
in any house without the consent of the owner ; nor in 
time of war, but in a manner to be ^weseribed by law. 

Art. 4. The right of the people to be secure in their 
persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable 
searches and seizures, shall not be violated ; and no war- 
rants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by 
oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to 
be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. 

Art. 5. No person shall be held to answer for a capital 
or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or 
indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the 
land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual ser- 
vice, in time of war or public danger ; nor shall any person 
be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy 
of life or limb ; nor shall be* compelled, in any criminal 
case, to be a witness against himself; nor be deprived of 
life, liberty, or property, without due process of law ; nor 
shall private property be taken for public use, without just 
compensation. 

Art. 6. In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall 
enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial by an imj)artial 
jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have 
been committed, which district shall have been previously 
ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and 
cause of the accusation ; to be confronted witli the witnesses 
against him ; to have compulsory jH-ocess for obtaining wit- 
nesses in his favor ; and to have the assistance of counsel 
for his defence. 



THE CONSTITUTIOX. 123 

Art. 7. In suits at common law, where the value in con- 
troversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by 
jury shall be preserved ; and no fact tried by a jury shall 
be otherwise reexamined, in any court of the United States, 
than according to the rules of the common law. 

Art. 8. Excessive bail shdll not be required, nor exces- 
sive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments 
inflicted. 

Art. 9. The enumeration in the constitution of certain 
rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others 
retained by the people. 

Art. 10. The powers not delegated to the United States 
by the constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are 
reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. 

Art. 11. The judicial power of the United States shall 
not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, 
commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States, 
by citizens of another state, or by citizens or subjects of 
any foreign state. 

Art. 12. § 1. The electors shall meet in their respective 
states, and vote by ballot for president and vice president, 
one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the 
same state with themselves ; they shall name in their bal- 
lots the person voted for as president, and in distinct ballots 
the person voted for as vice president ; and they shall make 
distinct lists of all persons voted for as president, and of all 
persons voted for as vice president, and of the number of 
votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and 
transmit, sealed, to the seat of the government of the United 
States, directed to the president of the Senate ; the presi- 
dent of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and 
House of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the 
votes shall then be counted ; the person having the great- 
est number of votes for president shall be the president, if 



124 FIRST LESSONS IX niSTORY. 

such number be a majority of the whole number of electors 
appointed ; and if no person have such majority, then from 
the persons having the highest numbers, not exceeding 
three, on the list of those voted for as president, the House 
of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the 
president. But in choosing the president, the votes shall 
be taken by states, the representation from each state hav- 
ing one vote ; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a 
member or members from two thirds of the states, and a 
majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. 
And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a 
president, whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon 
them, before the fourth day of March next following, then 
the vice president shall act as president, as in the case of 
the death or other constitutional disability of the president. 

§ 2. The person having the greatest number of votes as 
vice president shall be the vice president, if such number 
be a majority of the whole number of electors appointed ; 
and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest 
numbers on the list the Senate shall choose the vice presi- 
dent ; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two thirds 
of the whole number of senators, and a majority of the 
whole number shall be necessary to a choice. 

§ o. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the oflSce 
of president shall be eligible to that of vice president of the 
United States. 



7. Upon the adoption of the Constitution of the United 
States, tlie attention of the nation was at once directed to 
George "Washington as the candidate for the presidency, 
and he was accordingly chosen President of the United 
States. John Adams was elected vice president. 



WASUINGTOX'S ADMINISTRATION, 125 

IX. — WASHINGTON'S ADMINISTRATION. 

1. The inauguration of General Washington took place 
at New York on the 30th of April, 1789, and Congress 
assembled to make laws for the country. All things now 
began to go on well. The people returned to their habits 
of industry, and the meadows and wheat fields began to 
bloom once more. Poverty and mourning ceased, the 
ministers of the gospel returned to their churches, and 
peace and plenty were spread over the land. 

2. The first duty of Congress was, to establish a system 
of revenue, for the support of government ; and for this 
purpose duties were laid on imported merchandise, and on 
the tonnage^f vessels. They then proceeded to create the 
several departments of the executive, and to establish a 
judiciai-y. Congress assumed the foreign and domestic 
debts which had been contracted, and a national bank was 
established. The Constitution was adopted by North 
Carolina in November, and by Rhode Island in the follow- 
ing May, thus completing the number of the thirteen origi- 
nal states. The other events were, the admission of Vex'- 
mont to the Union, an Indian war on the north-west 
frontiers, and the admission of Kentucky. 

3. Vermont was admitted to the Union March 4, 1791. 
It was settled at a much later date than the other New 
England states. There was a fort built near Brattleboro' 
in 1724, called Fort Dummer, the remains of which are 
still to be seen. It was built to protect the settlers from 
the Indians. For many years New York and New Hamp- 
shire laid claim to the territory, and it was decided in 
England in 1764 that it belonged to New York, and con- 
sequently the government of that colony began to sell the 
land to any persons who would buy it. The settlers 
thought this very unjust, and determined to resist. New 

11 * 



126 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

York then sent troops into Vermont, and there was some 
fighting; but in 1789 the difficulties were amicably settled 
by purchiise. A convention was called, and a resolution 
adopted to join the Federal Union. 

4. As early as 1790 an Lidian war broke out on the 
north-western frontier, as it was then termed. General 
Ilarmar was sent to reduce the hostile ti'ibes to submission, 
but was defeated in an engagement near Chillicothe with 
considerable loss. General St. Clair succeeded him, and 
likewise sustained a defeat on the 4th of November, 1791, 
with the loss of six hundred men. General Wayne was 
then appointed to the command, and on tlie 20th of August, 
1794, at the head of an army of three thou.-and men, suc- 
ceeded in gaining a complete victory, which ^as soon fol- 
lowed by a treaty of peace. 

5. Kentucky was admitted to the Union on the 1st of 
June, 1792. Long after Virginia was settled, it remained 
in the possession of the Indians; but as early as 1769, 
Colonel Daniel Boone and some others Avent to explore the 
country. This party was attacked and plundered by the 
Indians, and aU. of them, except Boone, were killed. He 
remained in the wilderness for near two years, and then 
returned to his family, who lived on the Yadkin River, in 
North Carolina. Boone was an eccentric man, and pre- 
ferred the wild woods to meadows and wheat fields. Ac- 
cordingly he determined to return to Kentucky, and in 
1775 went there, with fifty families besides his own, and 
forty men. These penetrated the forests, and made the 
first settlement in Kentucky at Boonesboro', near Lexing- 
ton. Other settlers continued to arrive, and the population 
thus gradually increased. During the revolutionary war 
the inhabitants were much distressed by the Indians, who 
took part with the British, and committed every species of 
cruelty upon the defenceless settlers. They were severely 



JOHX ADAMS's ADMIXISTRATION. 127 

punished, however, in 1779, by General Clarke, who 
marched against them with a body of soldiers, and laid 
their country Avaste. From this time they became less 
hostile, and the white people lived in greater security. 

6. General "Washington was reelected president in 
1792, and John Adams was again chosen vice president. 
His second term was distinguished by difficulties both with 
France and England ; but fortunately the horrors of war 
were avoided. Tennessee, the first settlement of which 
was made at Nashville, as early as 1765, was admitted to 
the Union on the 1st of June, 1796. General Washing- 
ton's administration terminated on the 3d of March, 1797, 
on which occasion he delivei-ed his " Farewell Address " 
to the people of the United States, which, for purity of 
language, beauty of conception, and soundness of political 
sentiments, has never been equalled. John Adams, of 
Massachusetts, was elected his successor, and Thomas 
Jefferson vice president. 



X. — JOHN ADAMS'S ADjNIINISTRATION. 

1. The inauguration of Mr. Adams took place at Phil- 
adelphia, on the 4th of March, 1797. The country at this 
time was in a very prosperous state ; but serious difficulties 
soon manifested themselves with France, which at one 
time threatened immediate war. An army was raised, 
and General Washington was appointed to the command 
of it ; but a treaty of peace having been concluded on the 
30th of September, 1800, the army Avas soon disbanded. 

2. On the 14th of December, 1799, General Washing- 
ton died at Mount Vernon, at the age of nearly sixty-eight 
years. The whole nation were in mourning at the event. 



128 FFRST LESSONS IN IIISTOItT. 

Funeral orations were delivered, and processions formed 
in all the principal towns and cities, and every possible 
mark of respect was paid to the memory of the man who 
was first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his 
countrymen. 

3. In 1800 the seat of government was transferred 
from Philadelphia to Washington, in the District of Co- 
lumbia. 

4. JNIr. Adams was not elected for a second term. 
There was much opposition to his administration ; but the 
acts which rendered it most unpopular with the people 
were the passage of the " alien " and " sedition " laws.' 
There was no choice of a president by the people, and 
Thomas Jefferson was elected by Congress, on the thirty - 
sixth balloting. Aaron Burr was elected vice president. 



XI. — JEFFERSON'S ADMINISTRATION. 

1. The inauguration of Mi*. Jefferson took place at 
"Washington, on the 4th of March, 1801. The leading 
events which distinguished his first term were the admis- 
sion of Ohio to the Union, the purchase of Louisiana, and 
the death of General Hamilton. 

2. Ohio was admitted to the Union in 1802. As late as 
the year 1787, almost all this country was in the posses- 
sion of the Indians. A few scattered inhabitants had es- 
tablished themselves within the territory, and in 1788 

' By the alien law, the president was authorized to order any for- 
eigner, whom he should judge dangerous to the peace and safety of the 
"United States, to leave the country ; and the sedition law was designed 
to prevent any abuse of speech against the president, members of 
Congress, &c. 



Jefferson's administration. 129 

General Rufus Putnam, witli a party from New England, 
planted a little colony at the mouth of the Muskingum, 
where Marietta now stands ; thus forming the first regular 
settlement in Ohio. 

3. In 1803 the United States government purchased of 
France all that vast tract of country situated between the 
Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean, called Louisiana; 
for which the sum of fifteen millions of dollars was paid. 

4. In July, 1804, a duel took place between Alexander 
Hamilton and Aaron Burr, in which the former was killed. 
This melancholy event caused great sensation throughout 
tlie country, as he was justly alid universally respected for 
his talents and integrity. 

5. Mr. Jefferson was reelected to the presidency in 
1804, and Mr. George Clinton, of New York, was chosen 
vice president. The principal events which distinguished 
his second term were the war and peace with Tripoli, the 
conspiracy and trial of Aaron Burr, and difficulties arising 
from the war between France and England. 

6. In June, 1805, a war, which had been going on for 
several years between the United States and Tripoli, one 
of the piratical Barbary States in the north of Africa, was 
brought to a close by a treaty ; the pacha offering terms of 
peace wliich were accepted by the American consul. It 
was agreed that an exchange of prisoners should be made ; 
and as the pacha had a balance of more than two hundred 
in his favor he was to receive sixty thousand dollars from 
our government. 

7. In 1806, Aaron Burr, the same who had been vice 
president daring Mr. Jefferson's first term, was detected 
in a conspiracy, the design of which was to revolutionize 
the territory west of the Alleghanies, to seize the city of 
New Orleans for a capital, form an independent empire, 
and make himself the ruler ; and in case he should fail in 



130 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

this project, he intended to attack Mexico and establish an 
empire there. He was arrested and brought to trial at 
Richmond, Virginia, on a charge of treason ; but for the 
want of sufficient evidence of his guilt he was acquitted. 

8. During the war between England and France, which 
had been carried on for many years, the people of the 
United States Avere engaged in carrying the merchandise 
of both countries. On the IGth of May, 180G, the British 
government, for the purpose of injuring tlie commerce of 
France, issued an order in council declaring the ports and 
rivers from the Elbe to Brest to be in a state of blockade. 
By this order many Amei'ican vessels, trading to that 
coast, were seized and condemned. Bonaparte, the Em- 
peror of France, soon retaliated, by issuing a decree at Ber- 
lin, declaring the British Islands in a state of blockade, 
and prohibiting all commerce with them. In January, 
1807, the British government prohibited all coasting trade 
with France. These measures were higlily injurious to 
the commeix-e of the United States. 

9. In addition to this, England claimed the riglit to 
search American vessels and take from them those sailors 
who were born in England. The government of the United 
States remonstrated against this pretended right, but in 
vain. The American frigate Cliesapeake, refusing to give 
up four men claimed by the English as deserters, was fired 
upon by the British frigate Leopard. Being unsuspicious 
of danger, and unprepared for defence, tlie Cliesapeake 
struck lier colors, after having tlnx^e of her men killed and 
eighteen wounded. The men claimed were then given up; 
but, upon investigation, it Avas found that three of them 
were American citizens, who had been im])ressed by the 
British, and had afterwards escaped. 

10. This outrage called forth a proclamation from Presi- 
dent Jefferson, forbidding all British vessels to enter the 



Madison's administration. - 131 

harbors of the United States until satisfaction for the past, 
and security for the future, should be made by England. 

11. In November, 1807, the British government, as a 
retaliation for Bonaparte's " Berlin decree," issued the 
famous " orders in council," by which all neutral nations 
were prohibited from trading with France or her alHes, 
excepting upon payment of a tribute to England. This 
was immediately met by Bonaparte's "Milan decree," 
wliich confiscated all vessels which had submitted to search 
by an English ship, or had paid the tribute. 

12. To retaliate upon France and England, Congress, 
in December, decreed an embargo, by which all American 
vessels and sailors were called home and detained. But, 
as it failed in obtaining from France and England an 
acknowledgment of American rights, and proving ruinous 
to the commerce of this country, the embargo act was 
repealed ; but a non-intercourse act was substituted, which 
was to continue until either France or England should 
revoke its decrees. 

13. Such was the condition of public affairs when Mr. 
Jefferson retired from office, having served a term of eight 
years. Declining a reelection, Mr. James Madison, of 
Virginia, was chosen president, and Mr. George Clinton 
was reelected vice president. 



xn. — :madison's administration. 

1. Mr. Madison was inaugurated on the 4th of March, 
1809; and soon after he was informed by Mr. Erskine, the 
British minister at Washington, that on the 10th of June, 
the British orders in council, so far as they affected the 
United States, would cease. The president, therefore, 



132 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

issued a proclamation renewing intercourse with England 
on that day. But the British government refused to sanc- 
tion this act of Mr. Erskine, and the president again pro- 
claimed non-intercourse with England. 

2. The events and measures that mark Mr. Madison's 
administration are numerous, interesting, and important ; 
the chief of which is the declaration of war against England. 
The causes which led to this war grew out of the hostilities 
between France and England. 

3. Although France had renewed commercial inter- 
course with the United States, England continued her 
"orders in council." Her ships of wiu" were stationed 
along our coast to intercept our merchant vessels. 

4. On the evening of May 16, 1811, an encounter took 
place off the capes of Virginia, which considerably increased 
the excitement. The American frigate President, com- 
manded by Commodore Rodgers, hailed tlie British sloop 
of war Little Belt ; but instead of receiving a satisfactory 
answer, a shot was returned. An engagement ensued, and 
the Little Belt was soon disabled, having eleven of her men 
killed and twenty-one wounded. On board the President, 
only one was wounded. The conduct of Commodore 
Rodgers was approved by a court of inquiry. 

5. In 1811 the Indian tribes on the Wabash becoming 
hostile, General Harrison, governor of Indiana Territory, 
collected a large force and marched against them. Their 
principal chiefs, Tecumseh and the Prophet, were not 
present ; but on the approach of General Harrison other 
chiefs came out to meet him. They proposed a confer- 
ence, and requested him to encamp for the night. The 
general did so ; but, suspecting treachery, he formed his 
men in order of battle, and thus they reposed on their 
arms. 

6. Early on the morning of November 7, the Indians 



Madison's administration. 133 

suddenly rushed upon the camp, and a bloody contest 
ensued. The savages were repulsed, and their plans were 
defeated. This battle took place near the Tippecanoe 
River, and was hence called the battle of Tippecanoe. 

7. In April, 1812, that portion of Louisiana Territory 
now known as the State of Louisiana was admitted into 
the Union as an independent state. 

8. On the 1st of June, 1812, President Madison sent a 
message to Congress, recommending a declaration of wai* 
against England. The principal reasons assigned were — 
the imi)ressment of American seamen ; harassing our ves- 
sels on our own coast ; the blockade of her enemy's ports, 
supported by no adequate force, in consequence of Avhich 
the American commerce had been plundered in every sea, 
and the products of the country cut off from their legiti- 
mate markets ; and the British orders in council. 

9. In accordance with the recommendation, a bill was 
passed by both houses of Congress, and on the 19th of 
June, the president issued a proclamation of war. By an 
act of Congress the president was authorized to enlist 
25,000 men in the regular army, to accept 50,000 volun- 
teers, and to call out 100,000 militia for the defence of the 
sea coast and frontiers. Henry Dearborn, of Massachu- 
setts, was appointed major general and commander-in- 
chief, with Wilkinson, Bloomfield, Hampton, and Hull, as 
brigadier generals. 

10. General Hull was governor of Michigan Territory 
at the time of the declaration of war. He had a force of 
2000 men at his command, with which he was authorized 
to invade Canada. He crossed the Detroit River, and en- 
camped at Sandwich, intending to march upon the British 
post at Maiden. But while he was wasting nearly a month 
in camp. Maiden was reenforced, and Mackinaw, two hun- 
dred and seventy miles distant, was surpi'ised and captured 

12 



134 FIRST LICSSONS IN HISTORY. 

by a body of British and Indians. Terrified at this intel- 
ligence, and hearing that the victors were rapidly coming 
down upon him, he suddenly recrossed the river, and has- 
tened to the fort at Detroit. 

11. The British general, Brock, followed in pursuit ; and 
while the Americans were drawn up in order of battle 
outside of the fort, anxiously waiting for orders to fire upon 
the British, General Hull suddenly ordered them into the 
fort, and caused a white flag to be hung out in token of 
submission. The indignation of the army broke forth, 
and aU subordination ceased. They rushed in without 
order, stacked their arms, some dashing them with vio- 
lence upon the ground. INIany of the soldiers wept. Not 
only the army at Detroit, but the whole territory, with all 
its forts and garrisons, were surrendered to the British. 

12. Some time afterwards Hull was exchanged for 
thirty British prisoners. lie was arrested, and ti'ied by a 
court martial, on a charge of treason, cowardice, and un- 
officer-like conduct. The court declined giving an opinion 
on the first charge ; but on the others he was sentenced to 
death. He was })ardoned by the president, but his name 
was struck from the rolls of the army. 

13. On the 19th of August a naval action took place, 
in which Captain Isaac Hull, of the United States frigate 
Constitution, captured the British frigate Guerriere, com- 
manded by Captain Dacres. The Guerriere was so dis- 
abled as to require being burned, and one third of her 
crew was either killed or wounded. 

14. On the 13th of October, 1812, a part of the army 
under General Van Rensselaer, crossed the Niagara River, 
and attacked the British on Queenstown heights. The 
first assault was successful ; but just at that moment, the 
British general. Brock, arrived with a reenfbrcement. 
They were gallantly driven back, and General Brock was 



madisok's administration. 135 

killed. But owiug to the cowardice of that part of Van 
Rensselaer's army -n-hich remained on the American side 
of the river, and who absolutely refused to ci'oss over to 
aid their brethren, the British were in the end victorious. 

15. In October another naval victory was achieved by 
the Americans. The sloop of war Wasp, of eighteen guns, 
captured the British brig Frolic, of twenty-two guns, oiF 
the coast of North Carolina. A few days later, Captain 
Decatur, of the frigate United States, of forty-four guns, 
captured the British frigate Macedonian, of forty-nine guns. 
The latter vessel was very much injured, while the United 
States suffered so little that it was unnecessary for her to 
go into port for repairs. 

16. In December a second victory was gained by the 
Constitution — then commanded by Captain Bainbridge 
— over the British frigate Java. This was off San Salva- 
dor, on the Brazil coast. 

17. The results of the campaign of 1812 may be 
summed up in a few words. The land operations were 
characterized by a series of disgraceful failures ; those 
on the ocean by a series of naval triumphs. 

18. At the opening of the campaign of 1813, the Amer- 
ican forces were arranged in three divisions. The army 
of the west, under General Harrison, was stationed near 
the bead of Lake Erie ; the army of the centre, under 
General Dearborn, between Lakes Erie and Ontario ; and 
the army of the north, under General Hampton, on the 
shores of Lake Champlain. The British forces in Canada 
■were under Sir George Prevost, as chief in command, 
who was seconded by General Sheaffe. 

19. Mr. Madison began his second term as president of 
the United States, March 4, 1813. George Clinton was 
elected vice president, but dying soon after, Elbridge 
Gerry was appointed to succeed him. 



136 FIRST LESSONS IX HISTORY. 

20. The people of the western country were anxious to 
recover the territory lost by Genenil Hull's surrender. 
With this design General Harrison determined to under- 
take a winter campaign. After a series of successes and 
reverses, and the splendid naval achievement by Commo- 
dore Perry on Lake Erie, which gave to the Americans 
the mastery of that lake, General Harrison, on the 27 th 
and 29th of September, got possession of Maiden and 
Detroit. 

21. On the 2d of October, General Harrison and Gov- 
ernor Shelby, with thirty-five hundred picked men, left 
Detroit in pursuit of the British General Proctor, whom 
they found at the Moravian village on the Thames. The 
armies immediately engaged, with the most determined 
courage. The celebrated Indian warrior Tecumseh was 
slain, and upon his fall the Indians immediately fled, which 
led to the defeat of the whole British force. Proctor es- 
caped, with about two hundred dragoons. 

22. The recovery of Detroit from the British put an 
end to the Indian war in that quarter. Leaving General 
Cass, with one thousand men, at Detroit, General Harrison 
proceeded to join the army of the centre. The invasion 
of Canada was now the leading object. The plan of 
attack was marked out, and various movements were made ; 
but unexpected diiliculties occurring, the American force 
retired into winter quarters at French Mills, in Franklin 
county, New York. 

23. Many and severe conflicts took place between the 
war vessels of the United States and England during the 
year 1813. In February, the Hornet, commanded by 
Captain Lawrence, captured the British sloop of war Pea- 
cock. This was the sixth naval victory in succession 
which the Americans had gained over the enemy ; but this 
triumphal career was soon checked. 



Madison's administration. 137 

24. Captain Lawrence, for his gallant services in the 
affair of the Peacock, had been honored with the command 
of the frigate Chesajjeake, which was lying in Boston har- 
bor. On his arrival at Boston to take charge of her, he 
learned that the British frigate Shannon had recently ap- 
peared ofi' the coast, challenging an attack. Captain Law- 
rence, with more zeal than prudence, accepted the chal- 
lenge. The Shannon had a picked crew of officers and 
seamen, prepared for the occasion ; while that of the Ches- 
apeake consisted of newly enlisted men, strangers alike to 
Lawrence and to the ship. Lawrence hastily put to sea, 
on the 1st of June, in search of the Shannon. At half 
past five P. M. of the same day, the two ships engaged. 
In a few minutes every officer on board the Chesapeake 
capable of taking the command was either killed or 
wounded. The young and brave commander received a 
mortal wound ; and as he was carried below, he issued his 
last heroic order, " Don't give up the ship," too late to be 
effectual for good in that instance, but an inspiring motto 
in the American navy to this day. 

25. Perry's victory on Lake Erie, before alluded to, 
deserves a more special notice. During the summer, by 
the exertions of Commodore Perry, an American squad- 
ron had been fitted out on Lake Erie. It consisted of nine 
small vessels carrying fifty-four guns. A British scpiad- 
ron of six vessels, mounting sixty-three guns, had been 
built and equipped, under the superintendence of Commo- 
dore Barclay. 

26. On the 10th of September the two squadrons met 
near the western extremity of the lake. Perry's flag-ship 
was the " Lawrence," and in forming the line of battle, he 
hoisted his flag, on which were inscribed the words of the 
dying Lawrence, " Don't give up the ship I " Loud huzzas 
from all the vessels proclaimed the animation which this 

12 * 



138 FIRST LESSON'S TN niSTORV. 

motto inspired. The firing commenced about noon. The 
fire of the enemy, at first, was principally directed against 
the Lawrence, which in a short time became disabled. 
Commodore Perry then left her, and embarking in an open 
boat, transferred his flag on board the Niagara. Once 
more he bore down upon the enemy with the remainder 
of his fleet, the action becoming general and severe. At 
four o'clock the victoiy was rendered decisive and com- 
plete. Commodore Perry, in giving intelligence of the 
victory to General Harrison, then at Fort Meigs, wrote the 
following laconic note : " We have met the enemy, and 
they are ours, — two ships, two brigs, one schooner, and 
one sloop." 

27. In the early part of this year the British govern- 
ment declared the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays to be in 
a state of blockade. British squadrons were stationed off" 
the coast, and large detachments were sent on shore to car- 
ry on a most disgraceful war of devastation. ]Much valu- 
able shipping was destroyed, several villages in the Chesa- 
peake were plundered and burned, and the inhabitants 
subjected to the grossest outrages from the brutal soldiers. 

28. The Creek Indians, in the south, who had been 
instigated by the British to make war upon the people of 
the United States, were subdued by General Jackson, and 
a treaty of peace was concluded with them in August, 
1814. 

29. In the summer of 1814 there was some hard fight- 
ing, along the Niagara frontier, between the Americans 
and the British. In the engagements at Chippewa and 
Bridgewater, the American Generals Brown, Seott, and 
Ripley won high honors. Tlie battle of Lundy's Lane 
was one of the most sanguinary conflicts on record. Gen- 
erals Brown and Scott were among the wounded. The 
Americans were left in possession of the field. 



Madison's administration. 139 

30. In the month of August a squadron of fifty or sixty 
British vessels arrived in the Chesapeake Bay, with troops 
from Europe, for the purpose of attacking Washington, the 
capital of the United States. Five thousand troops, under 
the command of General Ross, were landed and marched 
towards that city. 

31. The measures which had been taken for the defence 
of the city were ineificient. It was only a fortnight previ- 
ous to the invasion that General Winder received his 
orders to call his forces together; and when the news 
arrived that the enemy had landed, he had not collected 
more than three thousand men. Some aid arrived, under 
General Stansbury, from Baltimore. 

32. General Winder met the enemy at Bladensburg. 
The president and heads of departments were on the field ; 
but as the issue of the contest was doubtful, and they had 
important documents to secure, all left it about the time 
the battle began, except Colonel Monroe. The contest 
terminated as might have been expected from the condi- 
tion of the American troops. Many of the militia fled. 
General Ross entered Washington in the evening of the 
24th of August, and with that barbarity which marked 
the Goths and Vandals of the dark ages, his troops burned 
not only the Capitol, which was in an unfinished state, but 
its extensive library, records, and other collections apper- 
taining to peace and civilization. The public ofiices and 
the president's house were wantonly sacrificed, together 
with many private dwellings. 

33. If the British had confined themselves to the cap- 
ture and destruction of such public property as pertained 
to warlike purposes, the Americans could have borne their 
humiliation with better grace ; but the manner in which 
the British used their advantage roused in the minds of 
the people a vindictive feeling against the conquerors, 



140 FIRST LESSONS IN niSTOKY. 

and united the nation, not in a desire for peace, but in a 
determined spirit for war. 

34. From Washington, General Ross led his troops to 
Baltimore, going thither by water. He landed five thou- 
sand men at North Point, and commenced his march 
towards Baltimore on the 12th of September. The 
Americans met him : a battle ensued, and General Ross 
w^as killed. While Colonel Brooke, on whom the com- 
mand of the army now devolved, was making his arrange- 
ments for a renewal of the attack by night, he received 
a communication from the British Admiral Cochrane, the 
commander of the naval forces, informing him that Fort 
McHenry had resisted all his efforts at bombardment, and 
that the entrance to the harbor was impracticable. Colonel 
Brooke, therefore, drew otf his troops in the night, and re- 
cmbarked at North Point. You can easily imagine the 
feelings of joyous exultation at Baltimore, when, on the 
morning of the 1 6th, they saw the " star-spangled banner " 
still waving over Fort McHenry, and felt that their city 
was no longer doomed to destruction. 

•< The stai'-spangled banner, O, long may it wave 
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave ! " 

35. In the month of August, 1814, the governor of the 
British Province of New Brunswick invaded Maine ; a 
proclamation was issued by the council of New Brunswick, 
declaring the country east of the Penobscot in possession 
of the King of Great Britain; and the British continued 
to hold this part of Maine until the close of the war. 

36. In September, 1814, Sir George Prevost, at the 
head of fourteen thousand troops, advanced upon Platts- 
burg, on Lake Champlain, where General Macomb, with 
a force of less than two thousand men, was stationed. The 
American squadron, commanded by Commodore Macdon- 



MADISON S ADMINISTRATION, 



141 



ough, was lying in the hai-bor of Plattsburg. On the 
Gth of September Prevost's forces arrived. General Ma- 
comb's situation was critical. During four days he kept 
the British at bay. On the morning of tlie 11th a general 
cannonading was begun on the American works, and soon 
after the British squadron was observed bearing down in 
order of battle. Commodore Macdonough cleared his 
decks for action, and gallantly received the enemy. After 
a contest of tv/o hours, the whole British fleet on the lake 




Battle of Lake Champlain. 

was captured by the Americans. And as soon as Sir 
George Prevost saw that his fleet was lost, he called in 
his columns, and retreated in great haste towards Canada, 
leaving large quantities of ammunition and military stores 
behind him. The British loss, in killed, wounded, pris- 
oners, and deserters, was estimated at twenty-five hundred 
men. 

37. During the same war a still more famous engage- 
ment occurred at New Orleans. On tlie 8th of January, 



142 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

1815, twelve thousand British troops came against that 
city. General Jackson was there with six thousand 
Americans, mostly militia, but the best marksmen in the 
land. He knew that the enemy were coming ; so he pre- 
pared to receive them. He had a long breastwork made 
of cotton bales, heaped one upon another. Then he placed 
twelve caimon along the line, and the Americans got 
behind the bi*eastwork. All things were now ready, and 
the British troops, led by General Packenham, began to 
advance over the level ground towards the American 
breastwork. 

38. For a long time the Americans were still, and let 
the British come close upon them. Then suddenly the 
men put their lighted matches to the cannon ; the balls 
were hurled amid the British ranks, and the soldiers fell 
by hundreds. Then, too, the Americans pointed their 
rifles over the breastwork, and sent their bullets in the 
faces of the enemy. A ^-ivid sheet of lire continued to 
blaze along the American line, and the ground, far and 
near, was shaken with the thunder of the battle. 

39. The British were brave men, and they were led by 
a brave general ; but they could not withstand the deadly 
fire of the Americans. They were driven back, leaving 
the ground strewed witli hundreds of the dead and dying. 
Twice, indeed, they rallied, and a few of them, as if 
seeking death, rushed close up to the breastwork. One 
daring officer, at the head of his men, ascended to the top 
of it, and shouted to his followers to come on. But ere 
the words had parted from his lips, he fell into the ditch 
below, pierced through and through by a dozen bullets. 

40. In one hour after the battle began, it was all o\er. 
The British were totally defeated, and marched sullenly 
away. General Packenham was killed, seven hundred of 
his bi'uve soldiers lay dead on the field, one thousand four 



Monroe's administkation. 143 

hundred were wounded, and five hundred were taken 
prisoners. Thus tlie British lost twenty-six hundred 
men, while the Americans had only seven killed and six 
wounded. 

41. This was the last important event of the war on 
the land. On the 17th of February, while the Americans 
were yet rejoicing for the victory at New Orleans, a spe- 
cial messenger arrived from Europe, bringing the welcome 
tidings that a treaty of peace between the United States 
and Great Bi'itain had been concluded in the previous 
December. This treaty was immediately ratified by the 
President and Senate. The war vessels of the two na- 
tions were many of them at sea when the treaty of peace 
was proclaimed, and some fighting occurred among them 
about the time, and soon after, but closing there, as on 
the land, with victory to the " star-spangled banner." 

42. Soon after the treaty of peace with England, the 
United States declared war against Algiers. That nation 
had violated the treaty of 1795, and committed depreda- 
tions upon American merchant vessels. In May, a squad- 
ron under Commodore Decatur sailed from New York, 
and proceeding up the Mediterranean, captured the frigate 
of the Algerine admiral on the 17tli of June. Two days 
later he took another frigate ; and then he sailed for 
Algiers. A treaty was dictated to the Dey of Algiers, 
which he signed. It obliged him to release all the Amer- 
ican prisoners in his possession, and to relinquish all future 
claims to tribute from the United States. 

43. Commodore Decatur then went to Tunis and Trip- 
oli, where he demanded and obtained payment of large 
sums of money for violating their treaties with the United 
States. In tliis war our government set a worthy example 
to the European powers, in chastising and humbling a 
lawless band of pirates. 



144 FIRST LKSSONS IN HISTORY. 

44. In December, 1816, Indiana -was admitted into the 
Union. It was first discovered by the French, and a few 
scattered settlements were made by the people of that 
nation, but in 1763 it was ceded to Great Britain. At 
the close of the Revolutionary Avar it belonjred to the 
United States. In 1800 it was organized under the name 
of Indiana Territory. It then included Illinois, but in 
1809 it was divided, and Illinois became a separate ter- 
ritoiy. 

45. In 1816 the bank of the United States was incor- 
porated by Congress, with a capital of thirty-five millions 
of dollars, and a charter to continue for twenty years. In 
the presidential election held in the autumn of 1816, James 
Monroe, of Virginia, Avas chosen president, and Daniel 
D. Tompkins, of New York, vice president of the United 
States. 



Xm. — MONROE'S ADMINISTRATION. 

1. Mr. Monroe was inaugurated on the 4th of March, 
1817. The country was just beginning to recover from 
the eflfects of the late Avar. Every department of industry 
A\'as actiA'e, particularly that of agriculture. Many, Avhose 
fortunes had been reduced by the war, sought to improve 
them by cultivating the soil. Thousands left the Atlantic 
States and moved westAvard, Avhere lands were cheap and 
the soil productive ; and so rapid was the increase of 
population in that section, that Avithin ten years from the 
close of the AA^ar, six ncAV states Avere added to the Union. 

2. In 1817 Mississippi Territory was divided, and the 
Avestern part admitted as the State of Mississippi. Fer- 
dinand de Soto visited this territory in 1539. A French- 
man, named La Salle, came down the river in 1683, and 



Monroe's administration. 145 

called the country Louisiana, in honor of Louis XIV. of 
France. The Seminole and Creek Indians having com- 
menced depredations on the frontiers of Georgia and 
Alabama, in 1817, General Jackson with a thousand vol- 
unteers from Tennessee, added to the forces already raised, 
marched into their territory and subdued them. 

3. Illinois, in 1818, adopted a state constitution and was 
admitted into the Union. This part of the country was 
originally discovered and settled by the French, who were 
early competitors of the English in making discoveries 
and settlements in North America. AVhile the English 
were establishing their colonies on the eastern coast, the 
French were ascending the St Lawrence River, and 
forming settlements in Canada and along the shores of 
the great lakes. Here they learned from the Indian tribes 
that visited them, that far beyond the western plains there 
flowed a mighty river to the south, larger than any of the 
American rivers yet discovered. 

4. In February, 1819, the Floridas and adjacent islands 
were ceded to the United States by Spain. This country 
was discovered in 1512, by the Spaniards. It happened 
oil " Palm Sunday," or the Feast of Flowers, called in 
the Spanish language Pascua Florida; hence its name. 
St. Augustine was founded by the Spaniards about the 
year 1564, and is the oldest toMm in North America. 

5. In December, 1819, Alabama was admitted as an 
independent state of the Union. The teri'itory of Alabama 
was a mere Indian hunting ground long after the settle- 
ment of other parts of our country. After the revolution- 
ary war it was claimed by Georgia, and the United States 
bought the claim, 

6. In March, 1820, the District of IMaine, which had 
been connected with Massachusetts since 1652, was sepa- 
rated from that state, and admitted into the Union as an 

13 



14G FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

independent state. As early as the year 1607, about one 
hundi'ed English people came over and began a settlement 
at the mouth of the Kennebec River ; but it was not of 
long duration. In 1623, on the Saco River, was begun 
the first permanent settlement ; more white peoi)le went 
from Massachusetts, and settled in various parts of Maine. 

7. ]Mr. Monroe was reelected to the presidency by a 
nearly unanimous vote, and entered upon his second tenn 
on the 4th of March, 1821. Mr. Tompkins was again 
elected vice president. 

8. In August, 1821, Missouri became the twenty-fourth 
state of the Union. Though the French were the first set- 
tlers, and for a long time the principal inhabitants of Mis- 
souri, yet a small portion of her present population is of 
that descent. A fort was built by that people as early as 
1719, near the site of the present cajjital, called Fort Or- 
leans, and its lead mines worked to some extent tlie next 
year. St. Genevieve, the oldest town in the state, was 
founded in 1755 ; and St. Louis in 1764. At the treaty 
of 1763, it was assigned, with all the territory Avest of the 
Mississippi, to Spain. It was ceded to France in 1801. In 
1803, at the purchase of Louisiana, it came into the pos- 
session of the United Stata*, and formed part of the Terri- 
tory of Louisiana, till tlie formation of the state of that 
name in 1812, when the remainder of the territory was 
named Missouri, from which (after a stormy debate in 
Congress as to the admission of slavery) was separated 
the present State of Missouri in 1821. 

9. In 1822 Commodore Porter was sent to tlie "West 
Indies with a small naval force to suppress the piratit-ul 
establishments in that region. He captured and destroyed 
upwards of twenty pirate vessels on the coast of Cuba ; 
and in the following year, with a stronger force, he com- 
pletely broke them up. 



ADAils's AD3IIXISTKAT10X. 147 

10. In the summer of 1824, the venerable Marquis de 
Lafayette, of France, the friend and ally of the Ameri- 
cans in the revolutionary war, came over, by invitation of 
Congress, to revisit the land to whose freedom and happi- 
ness he had so largely contributed, by his fortune, influence, 
skill, and bravery. He remained here about a year, 
during which he visited every state in the Union, and 
was every where hailed as a father, and honored as the 
" nation's guest." When he was about to return to France, 
a new frigate v/as prepared for his accommodation, and 
named the " Brandy wine," in commemoration of the battle 
in which he was wounded. On the 7th of September 
President Adams bade him an affectionate farewell in 
behalf of the nation. General Lafeyette was attended to 
the vessel by the whole population of the disti-ict. In 
passing Mount Vernon, he landed to pay his final visit to 
the tomb of Washington ; then, reembarking, a prosperous 
voyage soon landed him safely on his own native shores. 

11. When Mr. Monroe's second term of office was about 
to expire, there was an unusual degree of excitement about 
a successor. There were four candidates, John Quincy 
Adams, William H. Crawford, Andrew Jackson, and Henry 
Clay, neither of whom received a majority of the electoral 
votes. The choice of a president therefore devolved upon 
the House of Representatives, which decided in favor of 
John Quincy Adams, of Massachusetts. John C. Calhoun, 
of South Carolina, had been chosen vice president by the 
electors. 



XIV. — lOHN QUINCY ADAMS'S ADMINISTRATIOX. 

1. Mr. Adams was inaugurated March 4, 1825. Peace 
with foreign nations, and quiet at home, characterized his 



148 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

administration. The country continued its onward career 
of prosperity. 

2. The fiftieth anniversary of American uidependence, 
July 4, 182G, in addition to the fact of its completing the 
first half century of our national existence, was rendei'ed 
the more remarkable on account of the death of John 
Adams and of Thomas Jefferson, the second and third of 
the presidents. They were both members of the committee 
for preparing the " Declaration of Independence ; " Mr. 
Jefferson was the author of it, and Mr. Adams was its 
great advocate in Congress. That these two men should 
die on the same day, and that day the " Fourth of July," 
1826, was truly a most surprising coincidence. 

3. In the presidential election of 1828 Mr. Adams was 
a candidate for reelection, and General Jackson was his 
rival. General Jackson was chosen president by a large 
majority, and John C. Calhoun was again elected vice 
president. Mr. Adams, like his father, had served but 
four years. 



XV. — JACICSON'S ADMINISTRATION. 

1. General Jackson was inaugurated as president 
of the United States March 4, 1829. The prominent 
events of this administration were, hostilities of the 
Sacs, Foxes, and Winnebagoes, under the celebrated In- 
dian chief Black Hawk ; — the Indians were defeated. 
Black Hawk was taken prisoner, and a treaty was made ; 
— discontents in South Carolina arising from dissatisfac- 
tion with the tariff laws ; — failure to recharter the United 
States Bank. 

2. On the 4th of March, 1833, General Jackson entered 



VAN buren's administration. 149 

upon a second term of his presidency. Martin Van Buren, 
of New York, had been chosen vice-president. The 
principal events of this term were, the removal of the 
government funds from the Bank of the United States ; 
sad tidings of the death of Lafayette, at La Grange, in 
France ; war with the Florida Indians ; the admission 
of Arkansas in 1836, and of Michigan in 1837, as inde- 
pendent states. 

3. The first permanent European settlement in Michi- 
gan was made at Detroit, in 1701, by the French. On 
the reduction of Canada, in 1760, Michigan passed into 
the hands of the English ; but the Enghsh garrison at 
Fort Mackinaw was massacred by the Indians in 1763, 
and Fort Detroit was closely besieged by Pontiac, a cele- 
brated Indian chief, for nearly a year, when it was relieved 
by the approach of a large reenforcement from Quebec. 
Fort Detroit was not delivered up to the United States 
until 1796, at which time Michigan formed a part of the 
territory north-west of the Ohio. In 1805 the Territory 
of Michigan was estabhshed, with a distinct government. 
It was admitted to the Union in 1837. 

4. The presidential election in 1836 resulted in the 
choice of Martin Van Buren, of New York, as president, 
and Richard M. Johnson, of Kentucky, as vice president. 



XVI.— VAN BUREN'S AD^nNISTRATION. 

1. Mr. Van Buren took the oath of office on the 4th 
of March, 1837. The principal events of his administra- 
tion were, the suspension o^ specie payments by all the 
banks in the country, extra S(.-;sion of Congress, the Semi- 
nole war continued, dilHculties about the boundary line 
13* 



150 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

between Maine and New Brunswick, troubles on the Can- 
ada border, passage of the Sub-Treasury BUI in 1840. 
The election for president in the autumn of 1840 resulted 
in the choice of General William H. Harrison, of Ohio. 
John Tyler, of Virginia, was elected vice president. 



X\T[. — HARRISON'S ADMIXISTRATION. 

1. On the 4th of March, 1841, General Harrison was 
inaugurated as president of the United States. A new 
and able cabinet was formed, at the head of which was 
Daniel Webster. Every thing seemed to give promise of 
an honorable and useful administration of the affairs of 
government, when, in just one month from his inaugura- 
tion, President Harrison died. The mourning throughout 
the nation was sincere and deep ; the hand of the Almighty 
was acknowledged in the sad event. 

2. It is provided in the constitution, that in case of the 
death of the president, his duties shall devolve on the 
vice president. Hence Mr. Tyler became the acting 
president of the United States for the remainder of tlie 
term. 

3. The prominent events of Mr. Tyler's Admin- 
istration were, the settlement of the north-eastern 
boundary by the treaty of Washington, Mhich was nego- 
tiated by Mr. Webster and Lord Ashburton ; commercial 
treaty with China ; annexation of Texas to the United 
States, March, 1845 ; and Florida and Iowa admitted into 
the Union. 

4. Previous to 1832 Iowa was principally occupied by 
the Sioux (sooz) Indians, one of the most numerous and 
powerful tribes in the United States. They called them- 



folk's administration. 151 

selves Dacotahs, or confederates, and were a ten-or to all 
the neighboring tribes. In 1832 the United States pur- 
chased their lands of them. Most of them have since re- 
moved to the Indian Territory. 

5. Texas was one of the Mexican States previous to the 
year 1835, when it declared itself independent. The Tex- 
ans maintained their declaration in several severe battles, 
especially in that of San Jacinto, on the 21st of April, 
1836, when General Santa Anna, the president of Mexi- 
co, was taken prisoner, and his army defeated. 

6. The candidates for the presidency in 1844 were, 
Henry Clay, of Kentucky, and James K. Polk, of Tennes- 
see. The choice fell upon the latter ; and George M. 
Dallas was chosen vice president. 



XVni. — POLK'S ADMINISTRATION. 

1. Mr. Polk took the oath of office on the 4th of 
March, 1845. The chief events and measures of this 
administration were, the death of General Jackson ; the 
establishing of the Smithsonian Institute ; the admission 
of Texas as a state in 1846 ; settlement of the northern 
boundary of Oregon ; war with IMexico ; defeat of the 
Mexican army under Santa Anna by General Taylor, in 
February, 1847 ; siege and capture of Vera Cruz by Gen- 
eral Scott, in March*; conquest of tlie Mexican capital by 
General Scott, September 14, 1847 ; treaty of peace ap- 
proved by the United States Senate Mai'ch 10, and ratified 
by the Mexican Congress May 30, 1848. 

2. On the 8th of June, Ex-President Jackson, the 
" Hero of New Orleans," died at his residence, the Hermi- 
tage, in Tennessee, in the 79th year of his age. For 



152 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

many years he had occupied a prominent place in the 
affairs of the nation, manifesting throughout an honesty of 
purpose, and a true desu-e to promote the good of his 
country. 

3. Congress, during its session of 1845-46, passed a 
bill for establishing the " Smithsonian Institute." This 
institution was endowed by James Smithson, Esq., a gen- 
erous and philanthropic Englishman, who, in 1835, left to 
the United States half a million of dollars, " to found at 
"Washington an establishment for the increase and diOu- 
sion of knowledge among men." 

4. The "War with Mexico. — The admission of Tex- 
as into the Union, while claimed by Mexico as her prov- 
ince, soon led to a serious and open rupture with Mexico. 
General Taylor was ordered to break up his camp at 
Corpus Christi, in Texas, to pass the River Nueces, claimed 
by Mexico as her boundary, and to take post on the left 
bank of the Rio Grande, within the territory mutually 
claimed by Texas and Mexico. This act was considered 
by Mexico as a sufficient cause of war. 

5. On the 8th of March, 1846, General Taylor reached 
Point Isabel, near the mouth of the Rio Grande, where he 
deposited a portion of his stores, under a guard. lie then 
proceeded to the mouth of the river, opposite to Matamo- 
ras, where he commenced a fort, afterwards called Fort 
Brown. On the 24th of April, Captain Thornton, with 
sixty-three dragoons, was sent up the river to reconnoitre ; 
but he fell into a Mexican ambuscade, and was compelled 
to surrender to a superior force, after sixteen had been killed 
or wounded. This was the first blood shed in this war. 

6. General Taylor, hearing that Point Isabel was about 
being assailed, left Major Brown in command of the fort, 
and marched towards Point Isabel, leaving instructions 
that in case the fort was attacked, signal guns should be 



N?6. 




folk's administration. 153 

fired. On tlie third day after his departure the Mexican 
battery at Matamoras was opened upon the fort ; General 
Taylor, hearing the signal guns, left Point Isabel on his 
return, with two thousand men. At noon, on the 8th of 
May, he met a Mexican force of six thousand men on the 
prairie of Palo Alto. A battle ensued, which lasted about 
five hours. The Mexicans were driven from their position, 
and the Americans encamped upon the battle field. The 
loss of the enemy was about one hundred killed ; that of 
the Americans but four killed and forty wounded, among 
whom were Major Ringgold and Captain Page. 

7. The next day General Taylor resumed his march 
towards Fort Brown ; but on the way he discovered the 
Mexicans again drawn up in battle array, at a place called 
Resaca de la Palma. Another battle was fought, in 
which the Mexicans were again beaten.' General Tay- 
lor then proceeded to Fort Brown. On the 18th of May 
he took possession of the city of Matamoras ; and soon 
after, Mexico made a formal declaration of war against 
the United States. 

8. After occupying Matamoras, General Taylor pre- 

' It was during this battle that the celebrated charge of Captain May 
occurred. A Mexican battery, under command of General La Vega, 
was doing great execution, when May was ordered to take it. " I will 
do it," said he, at the same time wheeling his troops, and pointing them 
to the battery, pouring forth its terrific explosions. " Remember your 
regiment! men, follow!" He struck his charger, and bounded on 
before them, while a deafening cheer answered his call ; and immedi- 
ately the whole were dashing towards the cannons' mouths. May out- 
stripped them. "Wonderful was his escape, wonderful the escape of so 
many of his followers, exposed as they were to so fearful a fire. At a 
single bound May's horse cleared the battery ; the horses of a few 
others were equal to the leap ; wheeling again, they drove the gunners 
oft', and took possession of the battery, which they now employed 
against the enemy. It was a bold, perilous enterprise, but greatly 
added to the issues of the dav. 



154 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

pared, by order of the goveniment, to advance into the 
interior of Mexico from several quarters at the same 
time. The preparations occupied most of the summer of 
1846. Towards the last of August the army under Gen- 
eral Taj'^lor, with Generals Worth, Twiggs, and Butler, as 
chiefs of the several divisions, proceeded towards Monterey, 
the capital of New Leon. On the 9th of September the 
troops arrived at Walnut Springs, within three miles of 
Monterey. The attack commenced on the 20th; the battle 
raged until the 24th, when the Mexican general, Ampu- 
dia, prepared to surrender. A suspension of hostilities 
was arranged for that purpose, and terms of capitulation 
were agreed upon. The Mexicans, numbering about nine 
thousand men, were allowed to retire with the honors of 
war ; and an armistice of eight weeks was allowed, unless 
sooner revoked by either of the governments. 

9. On the 13th of October General Taylor received 
orders from the war depai'tment of the United States to 
terminate tlyi armistice, and renew offensive operations. 
The American forces were located at various points for 
the purpose. The division under General Worth occupied 
Saltillo ; General Patterson took possession of Victoi'ia ; 
the port of Tampico was captured by Commodore Perry. 
Earlier in the season. General Kearney had taken posses- 
sion of Santa Fe and all New Mexico ; and General 
Wool, having been prevented from marching to Chihua- 
hua, had joined General Worth at Saltillo. 

10. On the 2r;th of September General Kearney left 
Santa Fe, at the head of four hundred dragoons, for the 
California settlements ; but learning that the Amei-icans, 
under Captain Fremont and Commodore Stockton, were 
already in possession of tliat country, he sent back tliree 
quarters of his force. With a portion of General Kear- 
ney's command, Colonel Doniphan marched through the 



folk's administration. 155 

enemy's country from Santa Fe to Saltillo, and in well- 
fought battles against far greater numbers, lie secured the 
towns of El Paso in December, and Chihuahua in Feb- 
ruary, 1847. 

11. In February, 1847, General Taylor was in Agua 
Nueva, with a force of about five thousand men ; and learn- 
ing that Santa Anna, the Mexican general, was advancing 
against him with an army of twenty-two thousand, he 
broke up his camp, on the 21st of February, and fell back 
to Buena Vista, where he drew up his army to await the 
approach of the enemy. Some skirmishing ensued on the 
22d ; but before sunrise of the 23d the Mexicans began 
the attack. The conflict was long, desperate, and doubtful; 
but at the critical moment the batteries of Bragg and 
Sherman came up and decided the contest. The Mexi- 
cans were driven from the field in disorder, and with great 
loss. The victory of Buena Vista secured to the Ameri- 
cans the frontier of the Rio Grande, and left them free to 
direct their whole force against Vera Cruz, the conquest 
of which was deemed necessary in order to reach the 
capital of Mexico. 

12. The reduction of Vera Ci'uz, with its castle of San 
Juan de Ulua, was intrusted to General Scott, the com- 
mander-in-chief, who, with a force of twelve thousand 
men, conveyed by a squadron under Commodore Conner, 
landed a short distance south of the city without opposi- 
tion. This was early in March, 1847. The city was 
invested on the 13th; on the 18th, the bombardment com- 
menced, and the batteries began their fire on the 22d. 
Early on the morning of the 29th of March, Vera Cruz 
and the fortress were surrendered to the Americans. 
Leaving a garrison to keep possession of the city, the 
commander-in-chief commenced his march towards the 
Mexican capital. At the mountain pass of Cerro Gordo, 



156 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

he was opposed by Santa Anna, who had fortified the sev- 
eral heights commanding that pass. On the 18th of April 
General Scott took height after height, until all were in 
his possession. More than a thousand Mexicans were 
killed, three thousand were taken prisoners, and General 
Santa Anna fled on a mule taken from his carriage, leav- 
ing his cork leg behind. 

13. General Scott resumed his march, and by the 15th 
of May, Jalapa, the strong castle of Perote, and La Puebla 
were successively captured. He remained at the latter 
place till August 7, when, having received reenforce- 
ments, he again moved forward. By the 18th, the army, 
amounting to nearly eleven thousand men, had reached 
San Augustin, ten miles ft*om Mexico. In the afternoon 
of the next day (August 19) some fighting occurred in 
the vicinity of Contreras, and a little past midnight the 
battle commenced in earnest. One after another the 
strong posts of Contreras, San Antonia, and Churubusco 
were carried by the Americans in the course of the day. 
In these battles thirty-two thousand Mexicans had bccu 
engaged and defeated by about nine thousand Americans. 

14. At this point an effort was made by General Scott 
to negotiate a treaty of peace with the Mexican govern- 
ment ; but failing in this, he pressed forward with renewed 
energy to the capital. On the 8th of September General 
Worth stormed and carried the Molina del Rey, and the 
Casa de Mata, the chief outer defences of Chapultepec ; 
and on the 13th the citadel itself was taken by storm, but 
with a very heavy loss to the American army. The 
day following the fall of Chapultepec, September 14, the 
" stars and stripes " were unfurled to the breeze, above 
the walls of the national palace of Mexico. This event 
may be considered as closing the war. 

15. A treaty of peace was made by the American com- 



folk's administration. 157 

missioner and the Mexican government, at Guadilupe 
Hidalgo, February 2d, 1848. This treaty was afterwards 
adopted, with some aherations, by the Senate of the 
United States, and then confirmed by the Mexican Con- 
gress on the 30th of May. The most important provisions 
of the treaty were those by which Mexico ceded to the 
United States all the territory now embraced in New Mex- 
ico, Utah, and Califoi-nia ; for which Mexico was to receive 
fifteen millions of dollars ; and the United States were to 
relinquish " all castles, forts, territories, places, and posses- 
sions " not embraced in the ceded territory. 

16. On the 23d of February, 1848, John Quincy Adams, 
a former president of the United States, expired at AVa-sh- 
ington, while attending to his duties in Congress. He was 
suddenly struck with paralysis during the debates in the 
House of Representatives. He was removed to the 
speaker's room, in the Capitol, where he breathed his last, 
having been employed in the service of his country for 
more than sixty years. 

17. In May, 1848, Wisconsin was admitted into the 
Union. This state was formerly inhabited by the Chip- 
pewa, Winnebago, and other tribes of Indians ; but the 
lands were purchased of them by the United States, and 
most of them have long since gone to the Indian Territory, 
west of the Mississippi. It was visited by the French, 
and settlements were made as early as 1670. Marquette 
and Joliet passed through this territory on their route to 
discover the Mississippi. At the peace of Paris, in 1763, 
it was ceded to Great Britain. After the revolutionary 
war the territory was successively connected with the 
respective States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan ; 
but it was organized into an independent territory in 1836. 
It was admitted into the Union in 1848. 

18. JVIr. Polk was succeeded in the presidency by Gen- 

14 



158 FIRST LESSONS IN HISTORY. 

eral Zachary Taylor, of Louisiana. JNIillai'd Fillmore, of 
New York, was elected vice president. 



XIX.— TAYLOR'S ADAnXISTRATIOX. 

1. The 4th of March, 1849, occurring on the Sabbath, 
General Taylor took the oath of office on the 5th of 
March. But few important measures signalized his ad- 
ministration. The death of Mr. Polk, the late president, 
occurred in June, 1849, at his residence, in Nashville, 
Tennessee. On the 31st of March, 1850, John C. Cal- 
houn, formerly a vice president, died at Washington, while 
a senator from South Carolina. 

2. On the 9th of July, 1850, Zachary Taylor, the pres- 
ident of the United States, died in the president's mansion, 
at Washington — the result of exposure and fatigue on 
the previous 4th of July. The news of this national be- 
reavement was received with heartfelt sorrow and deep 
regret by all. On the day following, Mr. Fillmore assumed 
the duties of president, as provided by the constitution. 

3. It is an admirable feature of the constitution of the 
United States, that it provides, in case of the death of a 
president, for the ready and quiet transfer of all bis pow- 
ers to the vice president, as his constitutional successor ; 
and a most interesting hour was that, when, on the day 
following the death of General Taylor, and while his 
remains were still reposing in the national mansion, Mr. 
Fillmore took the oath of the presidential office, in the 
presence of both houses of Congress. It was a service 
which occupied but a brief space ; but in that short time, 
a transfer of all executive power was quietly effected, and 
the machinery of government was again moving, with its 
accustomed regularity and harmonious action. 



Fillmore's administration. 159 

4. The principal events of Mr. Fillmore's Adminis- 
tration were, the admission of California, in 1850, as a 
free state ; the organization of New Mexico and Utah as 
separate territories ; settlement of the Texas boundary ; 
the passage of an act called the " Fugitive Slave Law ; " 
the suppression of the slave trade in the District of Colum- 
bia ; the death of Henry Clay, at Washington, in June, 
1852 ; and the death of Daniel "Webster, at Marshfield, 
Mass., in October, 1852. 

5. At the presidential election in November, 1852, 
Genei'al Winfield Scott was the whig candidate, and Gen- 
eral Franklin Pierce was the candidate of the democratic 
party. General Pierce, having a majority of the votes of 
the electoral college, was elected president, and William 
R. King, of Alabama, vice president. 



QUESTIONS. 



These Questions are designed to furnish a test to the pupil himself, by which 
he can ascertain wliether he has acquired his assigned lesson. They may or they 
may not be used by the teacher in his examinations. The maps should be con- 
sulted with every lesson. 



1. DiscovEBiES. — 1. By whoih and when was America dis- 
covered ? Where was he born ? What do you know of his early 
life? 

2. Give an account of a sea fight with a Venetian war vessel. 

3. What was the character of the ships and sailors of that age ? 
What was the common idea of the shape of the earth ? Were 
there any signs of improvement in the knowledge of navigation ? 
What led to it ? 

4. What country did Columbus visit at this period ? Relate 
some of the circumstances. 

5. Of what advantage was this connection to Columbus ? In 
what business did he become engaged ? 

6. AMiat route was pursued in going to India ? 

7. "WTiat were its disadvantages ? What became a great object 
of inquiry at that time ? Who was specially interested in it ? In 
what way did he manifest his interest ? 

8. What questions was Columbus revolving in his mind ? To 
what conclusions did he come ? 

9. "WTiat resolution did he form ? To whom did he first apply 
for assistance in his enterprise ? With what result ? 

10. Where did he next go ? How was he treated by the King 
of Portugal ? 

11. "SMiat third attempt did he make? What important lesson 
does this example of Columbus teach ? 

12. How was his application received at the court of Spain ? 
How much of a fleet had he ? 

14* (161) 



162 QUESTIONS. 

13. From what seaport in Spain did Columbus set sail ? At 
"what group of islands did he touch ? What course did he steer 
from the Canaries ? [Turn to the map and trace his voyage from 
Palos.] 

14. NVhat alarmed the crew ? What did they think of doing ? 
How did Columbus quiet their fears ? 

15. What did they begin to see which showed that land was 
not far off ? 

16. Wliat was noticed by Columbus as he was upon deck one 
night ? What followed ? 

17. What did the morning light reveal to them? How were 
they all affected by what they saw ? 

18. What was the appearance of the land ? What sort of people 
were there ? How did they behave ? 

19. In what manner did Columbus and his companions land 
upon the shore ? What ceremonies were then performed ? ^Vhen 
was this ? What was that island called by the natives ? "VMiat 
name did Columbus give it ? To what collection of islands docs 
it belong ? Find its latitude and longitude on the map. "Which 
way is it from Cuba ? — from the city of Wasliington ? 

20. What surprised the Spaniards ? — what the natives ? 

21. ^\'hat other lands were discovered at that time r "Which 
way is Haj'ti from Cuba? What island lies nearly west from 
Hayti ? What island nearly east ? 

22. At what time did he reach Palos on his return to Spain ? 
How long had he been gone ? How was he received by the peo- 
ple ? How by the king and queen ? What did Columbus tell 
them ? How was King Ferdinand affected by what he heard ? 

23. How many voyages did Columbus make in all ? In which 
did he discover the continent of South America ? What do you 
know of his death ? 

24. Who was Americus Vespucius, and what is related of him? 
Is it at all probable that the name of Columbus \\-ill ever be for- 
gotten in this part of the world ? Do you know of any places in 
North America that bear his name ? 

25. To whom belongs the honor of having first discovered the 
continent of North America ? When was it ? Under what gov- 
ernment did the Cabots perform their voyage ? ^\Tiat further 
explorations were made by Sebastian Cabot ? Why did the Eng- 
lish lay claim to North America ? 



QUESTIONS. 163 

26. Who -was Verrazani ? Under what goTemment did he 
sail ? When was it ? What explorations did he make ? What 
name did he give the country ? When did Cartier make a voyage 
to America ? Under whose patronage ? What island did he 
visit ? What further discoveries did Cartier make on his second 
voyage. Why did the French lay claim to North America ? 

27. When did De Soto come to America ? What great river 
was discovered by him ? What became of De Soto ? Find Lab- 
rador on your map, and tell which way it is from your town. 
WTiich way is Newfoundland from Labrador ? ^Vhat strait sepa- 
rates these lands ? What bodies of water suiTound Newfound- 
land ? Which way is Montreal from the strait of Belle Isle ? 
What is the course of the Mississippi River ? Into what does 
it flow. 

n. Settlements. — Virgmia. \. What was the condition of 
North America previous to 1607 ? 

2. What had been done in South America ? What was going 
on in England with reference to this country ? 

3. Their voyage across the Atlantic? When and where did 
they commence their settlement ? 

4. What difficulties did the colonists experience ? 

5. What is said of John Smith ? 

6. Of his condition while in Constantinople ? 

7. Give an account of his joining the Virginia expedition. 

8. Relate the story of the Indian idol. How did he manage in 
his intercourse with the Indians ? 

9. 10. Relate his adventure on the River Chickahominy. 
How did the Indians capture him ? 

11. ^Vhat did they do with him ? 

12. By whom was Smith about to be killed ? What prevented? 
How did the affair terminate ? 

13. In what condition did Smith find the colony on his return ? 
How did he prevent their abandoning the settlement ? 

14. What saved the colonists from starvation ? What fortu- 
nate arrival occurred at that time ? 

15. 16, 17. Relate the circumstances of their gold-digging. 

18. How did Smith pass his time? To what office was he 
chosen on his return from his expedition ? — and what followed ? 

19. How many ships and emigrants were sent to Virginia in 



164 QUESTIONS. 

1609? What misfortune befell one of the vessels ? What sort of 
people wore most of the emigrants ? How did Smith maintain 
his autliority over them ? 

20. What did the Indians determine to do, to prevent the 
whites from overpowering them? Who revealed the plot to 
Smith? 

21. Why was Smith obliged to go to England ? What course 
did the Indians take when they found that Smith had gone 
away ? What was the condition of the colony in six months ? 

22. What was done when the officers of the colony arrived 
from the Bermudas ? What prevented ? 

23. Give an account of Lord Delaware's administration. 

24. Of what treacherous conduct was Captain Argal guilty ? 

25. What incident occurred while Pocahontas was at James- 
town ? What followed ? When Mr. Rolfe visited England ^^•ith 
his bride, how ^^■as she received there ? What sad event took 
place ? 

26. When and how was slavery introduced into Vii'ginia ? 

27. What Indian chief plotted the destruction of the English 
settlers in 1622 ? 

28. IIow did the Indians prevent suspicion of their designs ? 
When and how did the massacre begin, and what was accom- 
plished ? 

29. IIow did the English retaliate ? To what extremities was 
the colony reduced in 1621 ? 

30. Describe the civil war of 1676. IIow many inhabitants 
were there in Virginia in 1688 ? 

III. Settlements. — Neio York. — 1. Who was Henry Hud- 
son, and when did he come to this country ? What river did he 
explore and give a name to ? What changes have taken place 
since then ? 

2. When and where did the Dutch begin settlements ? Which 
of the countries in Europe is inhabited by the Dutch. 

3. What war broke out in 1G43 ? What do you know about 
Captain Underbill ? 

4. Give an account of a battle with the Indians ncarllorseneck. 

5. What disputes did the Dutch have with the people of New 
England ? Why did the King of England interfere ? 

6. What event occiirred in 1664 ? 



QUESTIONS. ISS 

7. What in 1673 ? 

8, 9. Who was sent by the Duke of York, as governor, after it 
was restored to the English ? What privileges were granted to 
the colonists after the recall of Andros ? 

10. Who became King of England in 1685 ? Why was he 
disliked both at home and abroad ? What joyous news came over 
from England in 1689 ? 

11. What course was taken by the people? Who assumed the 
government ? 

12. Between what countries in Europe was war declared in 
1689 ? 

13. Who was governor of Canada then ? Against what places 
did he send a party of French and Indians ? In what year was 
this? 

14. 15. Give an account of the destruction of Schenectady. 

16. What attempt was made to avenge these cruelties? Why 
did the expedition fail ? 

17. What occurred between Colonel Sloughter and Leisler ? 

15. How was the execution of Leisler and Milbome brought 
about ? 

19. Describe Peter Schuyler's expedition. 

20. Who was governor of New York in 1692 ? Who in 1698 ? 
What is related of pirates ? 

21. What measures were taken to destroy them ? 

22. Relate the story of Captain Kidd. 

23. Who was governor of New York in 1743 ? What troubles 
occurred with the French and Indians ? 

24. How was the colony relieved from these troubles m 1748 ? 

IV. Plymouth Colony. — 1. What is said of the Puritans in 
England ? 

2, 3. Of their voyage to America, and their explorations ? 

4. When and where did they conclude to form a settlement ? 
What was the condition of things around them ? Of how many 
did their company consist ? 

5, 6. What is said of the Indians ? 

7. What Indian chief came to see them ? Give an account of 
the interview. What treaty was formed ? 

8. What is related of the sufferings of the Pilgrims ? To what 
number had the colony increased in ten years ? 



166 QUESTIONS. 

Massachusetts Bay Colony. — 9. When and where was the 
Massachusetts Bay colony commenced ? IIoav many persons 
came over in 1630, and what tOA^Tis were begun ? "What was the 
character of these emigrants ? Why did they leave England ? 

10. Give an account of their hardships in their new homes. 

11. Relate the story of Lady Arabella Johnson. 

12. How did they bear their trials? 

13. Which was the first permanent English settlement in New 
England ? Origin of the name of the Massachusetts colony ? 
Which of these colonies increased most rapidly ? What distin- 
guished character came over in 1635 ? What is related of him ? 

14. When and where was Maine first settled ? With what 
colony was Maine united in 1652, and how long did the union 
last ? What other colony was formed in 1623, and what is said 
of it ? What colony was founded in 1635 ? In 1636 r In 1638 ? 
In what year was Vermont Hrst settled ? 

15. What is remarked of the Massasoit treaty ? TMio were the 
Pequods, and what did they do ? 

16. What events followed? Who was appointed to command 
the expedition against the Pequods ? 

17. 18, 19. Relate all the circumstances. 

20. What colonies formed a union in 1643 ? Why? 

21. With what feelings did the Indians view the increasing 
numbers of English settlers among them ? Do you suppose the 
Indians were alone to blame ? 

22. What did the Indians fear ? 

23. Give an account of King Philip. What resolution did he 
form ? 

24. 25. How did he proceed to accomplish his purpose ? 

26. .Relate the circumstances of the attack on Swanzey, in 
1675. What followed ? 

27. Give an account of the pursuit of Philip. 

28. What happened at Springfield ? At Muddy Br(3ok ? 

29. Places attacked by the Indians in !Maine and New Hamp- 
shire ? Describe the attack on Brookficld, Massachusetts. 

30. Who came to the relief of those in the house ? 

31. What powerful tribe was it thought necessary to humble? 
Where were they r How large an army was sent against the 
Narragansetts ? 

32. What was the result ? 



QUESTIONS. ■ 167 

33. What comparison is made between, the English and the 
Indians ? 

34. What event closed the war ? Give the circumstances of 
the death of King Philip. 

35. How long had the war contmued ? What amount of de- 
struction was incurred by the English colonists ? What was the 
loss and suffering to the Indians ? What is their present 
condition ? 

36. What new difficulties arose after Philip's war was over? 

37. What pretence was set up against the colonies ? How were 
they to be punished ? What were these charters ? Who was King 
of England then ? Who was sent over, in 1686, to take away the 
charters ? 

38. What was his official capacity ? Which of the colonies hid 
their charter ? 

39. What was the character of his government ? 

40. In what year did Andros begin to act as royal governor ? 
What happened in England two years after ? How did this change 
of kings aff"ect the colonies in America ? What did the Boston 
people do with Governor Andros and his party ? 

41. What strange delusion prevailed in 1692 ? How did it 
begin ? 

42. How did those children account for it ? What was done 
with her ? 

43. How did it affect others ? 

44. What was very strange in all this ? How did people account 
for it ? 

45. What had been done in England about witchcraft ? Was 
it thought proper to do the same at Salem ? 

46. How far was the matter carried? 

47. AVhat put a stop to it ? 

48. With what feelings should we reflect upon that delusion ? 
What does justice require of us ? 

49. What war began soon after William III. acceded to the 
throne of England ? Name the French settlements in America 
at that time. What effect had King William's war upon the 
American colonies ? Give a general view of the doings of the 
French and Indians. 

50. 51. Describe the attack on Haverhill, in 1697. 

62, 53, 54. Relate the circumstances of Mrs. Dustan's captivity. 



168 QUESTIONS. 

65, 56. When did Queen Anne's war begin, and what was 
done by the French and Indians ? Describe the attack on Deer- 
field, and the affair of Kev. Mr. AVilliains's family. 

57. When was this war closed ? What had the English taken 
from the French ? What country still belonged to the French r 

58. What is related of the Indians in Maine in 1722 ? How 
long did this continue ? 

59. When did King George's war begin ? What was the 
chief event of that war in America ? Describe Louisburg. How 
large a force was to be sent against it, and under whose command ? 

60. Give an account of the siege and capture of Louisburg. 

61. In what year did King George's war close ? 

V. New Jersey, Delaware, &c. — 1. "SMien was Xew Jer- 
sey first settled, and by what people r What occurred in 1664 ? 
In 1676 ? In 1702 ? 

2. When and where was Delaware first settled ? Describe the 
country. 

3. What occurred to mar the people's enjoyment ? 

4. How was the act of Risingh avenged ? How long did Dela- 
ware remain in possession of the Dutch ? 

5. What change took place in 1682? Give the remainder of 
its history. 

6. What was going on in England at the time of these settle- 
ments in America ? What is related of Lord )3altimore r 

7. What prevented the consummation of his plans r What was 
his son Cecil determined to do ? 

8. At what Indian village did the party of Calvert stop, on 
their arrival ? How did they obtain a right to the land r 

9. How did the colonists obtain food ? 

10. Upon what prhiciple was this colony founded ? What 
other colony was like it in this respect ? 

11. Relate the affair of Clayborne. 

12. How large was the colony of Maryland in 1666 ? What 
occurred ten years after ? What was Lord Baltimore's character ? 
By whom was he succeeded as proprietor ? 

13. What more is said of Maryland ? 

14. What was the origin of *' Mason and Dixon's liine " ? 

15. What grant did William Penn obtain from King Charlef 
in 1681 ? What measures did Penn take to colonize his lands ? 



QUESTIONS. 169 

16. Relate the substance of Penn's letter to the Indians. 

17. "When did Pemi himself arrive, and how large a company 
came with him ? How did Penn treat the Indians ? 

18. Of what city was Penn the founder ? 

19. Give an account of the growth, government, &c., of Penn- 
sylvania. 

20. When did Penn make a second visit to his province ? What 
did he do about the charter ? What was the trouble with Dela- 
ware, and how was that colony appeased ? 

21. When did Penn die ? State some circumstances of his life 
and character. 

22. What was the condition of the colony after the death of 
Penn ? 

23. When and by what people was North Carolina settled? 
Of what religious sect were the Virginians r Did they adopt a 
liberal policy ? W^hat was a consequence of their intolerance ? 
Describe the country about Albemarle Sound. 

24. When did the King of England make a formal grant of 
the Carolinas, and to whom ? What inducements did the propri- 
etors hold out to settlers ? Who was made governor of the 
colony ? 

25. Give an account of the founding of South Carolina, in 1670, 
by William Sayle. 

26. Where did some Frenchmen settle in 1707 ? some Ger- 
mans in 1710 ? 

27. What awful calamity befell these French and German set- 
tlers ? 

28. How did the Indians effect their object ? 

29. Who was sent against the Indians, and with what results ? 

30. When the Indians renewed their hostilities, what means 
were taken to conquer them ? What became of the Tuscaroras ? 

31. What change took place, in 1729, in the Carolinas ? 

32. When and by whom was Georgia first settled ? At what 
place? What was Oglethorpe's object in founding this colony? 

33. How many English emigrants came over in 1733 ? What 
others came in 1735 ? Was this a flourishing colony ? 

34. Give an account of General Oglethorpe's invasion of Flor- 
ida in 1740. 

35. How did the Spaniards attempt to retaliate ? 

36. What force had Oglethorpe to defend himself? 

15 



170 QUESTIOXS. 

37. How did he continue to deceive the Spaniards ? 

38. What change took place in the colony in 1754 ? What ar- 
ticles did the people begin to cultivate ? 

VI. French and Indian Wak. — 1. In what year did the 
old French war begin ? How many British colonies were there 
at that time ? 

2. Where were the French settlements ? How did they intend 
connecting their northern and southern settlements ? 

3. What lands did some people from Virginia attempt to settle 
about the same time ? What did the French do to them ? Why 
had the English attempted a settlement in that region r To whom 
did they apply for redress ? 

4. What course did Governor Dinwiddle think it best to take 
first ? Who was selected as a suitable person for this purpose ? 

5. What was the French commander's reply ? Was it satis- 
factory to the governor of Virginia r What did he resolve to do ? 
What fort did Washington approach ? What city now stands on 
the spot where that fort was ? 

6. Describe the conflict which took place between Washington's 
men and the French. 

7. When the British government heard of this, what was it 
resolved to do? What British officer came over in 1755? For 
what did he begin to prepare ? 

8. What preparations were necessary ? With what force did 
General Braddock commence his march ? What remark is made 
about General Braddock ? 

9. What caution was given him ? Describe his approach to 
Fort Du Quesne. 

10. How was he surprised ? What followed ? 

11. What happened to General Braddock? Who saved the 
army from total destruction ? What was the loss ? 

12. What other expeditions were undertaken that year ? With 
what results ? 

13. What was the determination of England and France in the 
spring of 1756 ? When was war formally declared between those 
nations ? What gi-eat mistake was committed by the English 
government in the appointment of officers ? What was accom- 
plished in 1756 ? 

14. What was accomplished by the English in 1757 ? Why ? 



QUESTIONS. 171 

15. What was the principal event of that year? Where was 
that fort ? By whom -was it garrisoned ? What other fort was m 
that vicinity ? Who occupied it ? 

16. What French commander went against Fort William 
Henry ? Describe the scene. 

17. What was Colonel Monroe's conduct on the occasion ? What 
was the result of the siege r What did the French general prom- 
ise with regard to the English prisoners ? How was the promise 
kept ? 

18. 19. Describe the scene. 

20. Who was at the head of affairs in England in 1758 ? 
What course did he take? What two important places were 
taken from the French, and by what generals ? 

21. Describe the preparations for taking Ticonderoga. 

22. What British officer was killed ? What is said of him ? Of 
the soldiers ? 

23. For how long did the British storm the fort ? 

24. What was Lord Abercrombie obliged to do ? What loss 
had he suffered ? What was the result of the attack on Fort 
Frontenac ? Where was that fort ? 

25. What forts were taken by the English in 1759 ? Which 
was the most important event of the campaign ? Describe Quebec. 

26. What was Mr. Pitt resolved to do ? Whom did he appoijit 
to command the expedition ? Who were his associates ? 

27. When did Wolfe arrive at Quebec ? What was his first 
object ? Against whom had he to contend ? 

28. 29. What important position was gained by General Wolfe ? 
Give the particulars. 

30. How was Montcalm affected when he heard of it? What 
course did he take? Describe the conflict. 

31. Give the particulars of General Wolfe's death. 

32. What event followed five days after the battle ? What is 
the present capital of Canada ? 

33. Give the closing incidents of the French and Indian war. 

VII. The Eevolutioxary War. — 1. What conduct was 
manifested towards the English colonies soon after the old French 
war ? How had the British government generally behaved 
towai-ds them ? How were the colonists disposed towards the 
mother country ? 



172 QUESTIONS. 

2. "What was the chief cause of offence to the colonies ? TMiy 
did the British government do this ? Why -were the Americans 
unwilling to comply ? 

3. "Which party was right ? "What effect had the acts of the 
British Parliament in the colonies ? "What was done in Boston to 
prevent a rebellion ? 

4. ^Yhere were the British troops quartered ? How did these 
soldiers pass their time ? Did it please the people of Boston to 
see these military shows in their streets every day ? 

5. What happened on the 2d of March, 1770 ? 

6. 7, 8. Describe the scene, in State Street, Boston, which oc- 
curred on the oth of March, 1770. 

9, 10. What was the state of feeling among the people ? "VSTiat 
was done to allay the excitement ? Describe the funeral of those 
who were killed ; the trial of the soldiers ; the result. 

11. What was done by Parliament in March, 1770? What 
ought it to have done ? 

12. How were the re\'enue officers treated? Relate the "tar 
and feather " case. 

13. What was the condition of affairs in 1772 ? 

14. Give an account of the tea which arrived in Philadelphia, 
New York, and Charleston. 

15. What measures were taken with regard to three cargoes of 
tea that came to Boston ? 

16. What was done at a town meeting? 

17. Where did they go from the town meeting? What took 
place there ? 

18. How was the news of these proceedings received in Eng- 
land ? What bill was passed by Parliament ? What is meant by 
the Boston Port Bill ? 

19. What is said of other laws? .What sort of people did the 
British Parliament suppose the Americans to be ? 

20. What feelings prevailed throughout the colonics, and how 
were they manifested ? 

21. What was done by General Gage at Boston ? 

22. On what day did the Port Bill go into operation ? Give 
the particulars. 

23. How was that day observed in other parts of the country? 
What generous spirit was manifested by the Salem and Marble- 
head merchants ? 



QUESTIONS. 173 

24. Relate the war preparations. 

25-28. Tell the story of the boys on Boston Common. 

29. What was the state of feeling all over the country at that 
time ? What event roused this feeling into action ? 

30. What preparation was made b)^ the people of Lexington to 
receive the British soldiers ? When they arrived, what were the 
Americans ordered to do ? Did they heed it ? AVhat followed ? 
To what place did the British next go ? 

31. How much destruction did they accomplish at Concord? 
While all this was going on, what were the people about ? 

32. 33. You may finish the story. 

34. What were the consequences of this first conflict with the 
British troops ? 

35. What circumstance is mentioned as having occurred at 
Barnstable ? 

36-39. What in Connecticut ? 

40. Relate the anecdote of General Putnam. 

41. What number of men had assembled about Boston in the 
course of a few weeks after the battle of Lexington ? In what 
condition were they ? 

42. What was the condition of this country at that time ? 

43. What of Great Britain ? What was the general belief in 
Europe ? What was the faith of our fathers ? In whom did they 
confide for success ? 

44. The wai" having begun, what was the next move on the 
part of the Americans? Relate the circumstances of the cap- 
ture of those forts. How did the militia annoy the British in 
Boston ? 

45. What had General Gage determined to do ? How Avere 
the Americans to prevent it ? How much was done bj' dawn of 
day ? What did the British tliink of it ? 

46. What movement was made by the British troops on the 
17th of June ? 

47. Did the Americans stop building their fort ? Who were 
the principal men among them ? What was the character of all, 
men as well as officers ? 

48. What added to the horrors of the scene ? How did the 
Americans receive the enemy ? 

49. 50. Who led the British ? You may go on and give the par- 
ticulars of the battle. 

15* 



174 QUESTIONS. 

61. "What -svas the loss on each side ? What did the British 
think of it ? 

52. What name is given to that battle? What was its effect 
upon the American people r What American officer was killed 
in that battle ? 

53. Where was the Continental Congress assembled ? Whom 
did they appoint commander-in-chief of the American army? 
Where did Washington join the army ? How large was the 
army ? AVhat was nccessai-y to be done for them ? 

54. 55. What expeditions were planned in the latter part of 
the year 1775 ? Give the particulars of the attack on Quebec. 

56. What was accomplished by General AVashington in the 
spring of 177C? 

57. What important event occurred on the 4th of July, 1776 ? 
How was it received bj' the American people ? What political 
effect had it iipon the colonics ? 

[The teacher should require the Declaration of Independence to be repeatedly 
read as a class exercise.] 

58. Against what place did the British send a powerful army, 
in August, 1776 ? What battles followed, and with what results? 
Where is Brooklyn ? White Plains ? 

59. What movement on the part of General Washington re- 
vived the hopes of the Americans ? Give the particulars. In 
what state is Trenton ? In what part ? 

60. When did the battle of Princeton occur, and how did it 
teiTninate ? Why is James Monroe mentioned in connection with 
that battle ? Where did Washington's army encamp after that 
battle ? Where is Morristown ? 

61. What movement did General Howe niake in September, 
1776 ? What occurred on the 26th of the month ? 

62. Describe the movements of General Burgoyne in Canada. 
By w'hom was Burgojme's progress opposed ? What took place 
on the 16th of August at Bennington ? ^^'here is Bennington ? 

63. What battles occuiTcd on the 18th September and 7th Oc- 
tober ? Which army was defeated ? Give the particulars of the 
battle of Saratoga. 

64. AXTiat European nation was the first to acknowledge the 
independence of these colonies ? In what year was it ? With 
what did France accompany her acknowledgment ? WTiat effect 
had this upon the government of Great Britain ? 



QUESTIONS. 175 

65. What did England offer to do ? How was it met by Con- 
gress i Why ? Relate the anecdote of Joseph Reed. 

66. What remark is made of this ? 

67. When did the British leave Philadelphia ? To what city 
did they march ? What took place at Monmouth ? Where is 
Monmouth ? 

68. What is said of the arrival of Count d'Estaing ? 

69. Give the description of Wyoming. Point it out on the map. 

70. Remark on the feelings of the British officers and soldiers 
at that period. 

71. What had the people of Wyoming done to offend them? 
How were they to be punished for it ? Give the particulars. 

72. How many were cruelly murdered ? Finish the narrative. 

73. What city was taken by the English in 1779 ? 

74. Give an account of Governor Tryon's marauding expedi- 
tion into Connecticut. The anecdote of General Putnam. 

75. What expedition was undertaken by the American General 
Sullivan, in August, 1779 ? What did he accomplish ? 

76. AVhat other city was taken by the British, next after Sa- 
vannah ? When was this ? 

77. Give an account of the arrival of Count de Rochambeau, 
in July, 1780. What is said about dancing? 

78. What did Washington intend to do now that the French 
had joined him ? What prevented ? What American general 
became a traitor to his country ? What was his character ? What 
important post was he about to give up to the enemy ? With 
what British officer did Arnold have communication ? What was 
the bargain ? 

79. AVhat prevented the accomplishment of the plan ? Give 
the particulars. 

80. Who commanded the British troops in the south in 1781 ? 
Who had the command of the Americans in that quarter ? What 
was the result of the campaign in the Carolmas ? 

81. In what marauding expeditions was Benedict Arnold en- 
gaged after he had turned traitor ? 

82. Where had Lord Cornwallis stationed his army in the sum- 
mer of 1781 ? Where was Washington, and what did he deter- 
mine to do ? By what forces was he joined on his march towards 
Virginia ? 

83. How large was the combined army of Americans and 



176 QUESTION'S. 

French ? "\\T\at defences had Cornwallis made at Yorktown ? 
When did Washington open his fire upon the British ? What 
followed r \Mien did Lord Cornwallis surrender his army to 
General Washington ? 

84. What was an important effect resulting from this victory ? 
"When was the treaty of peace signed between Great Britain and 
the United States of America ? 

Vin. Adoption OF THE CoN'STiTUTioN. — 1. Describe the state 
of affairs at the close of the war. What was wanting ? 

2. Give the remarks showing the necessity of government and 
laws in a community. What steps were taken to provide a gov- 
ernment for the nation ? ^^^len and where did the convention 
assemble ? "^^'hat was accomplished r When did the new con- 
stitution go into operation ? 

3. What are the three distinct branches of the government r 

4. What constitutes the legislative branch ? Where does Con- 
gress hold its meetings ? Of what does the Senate consist ? — 
the House of Representatives ? 

5. Who is at the head of the executive department? What 
are the duties of the president ? By whom is the president 
assisted ? 

6. Of what is the judiciary composed ? 

[Tlie Constitution should bo used as a reading exercise by the class, the teacher 
making such comments as he may deem necessary.] 

7. Who was chosen as the first president of the United States, 
under the new constitution ? Who was vice president ? 

IX. Washington's Administration. — 1. When was Gen- 
eral Washington inaugurated as president of the United States ? 
Where was Congress then assembled ? 'WTiat was the condition 
of affairs throughout the country ? 

2. What was the first duty of Congress at that time ? How 
was this to be done ? What next was done by Congress ? When 
did the States of North Carolina and Rhode Island adopt the con- 
stitution ? How many states were there then ? 

3. What new state was admitted into the Union in 1791 ? Give 
a sketch of the history of Vermont. 

4. Where did an Indian war break out in 1790? Who was 



QUESTIONS. 177 

Bent to quell the Indians ? With what result ? Who succeeded 
General Harmar ? What happened to General St. Clair ? What 
■was General Wayne's success ? 

5. When was Kentucky adnutted into the Union ? Give a 
sketch of its history. 

6. When did President Washington begin his second term of 
office ? Who was chosen vice president ? By what was Wash- 
ington's second term distinguished ? When was Tennessee first 
settled ? When did it become a state ? When did General Wash- 
ington retire from the presidency ? What is remarked of his 
Farewell Address ? Who succeeded General Washington as pres- 
ident ? Who became vice president ? 

X. John Adams's Administration. — 1. When and where 
was Mr. Adams inaugurated ? What was the state of the 
country ? What difficulties soon occurred ? What measures 
were taken ? What terminated these difficulties ? 

2. What sad event took place on the 14th of December, 1799 ? 
Relate the cii'cumstances of this event. 

3. When was the seat of government transferred to the city of 
Washington ? 

4. What is given as a reason why Mr. Adams was not chosen 
for a second term ? Who was his successor, and how was he 
elected ? Who was vice president ? 

XI. Jefferson's Administration. — 1. When was Mr. Jef- 
ferson inaugurated as president ? Name the three leading events 
of his first term. 

2. When was Ohio admitted into the Union ? Give a sketch 
of its liistoii\ 

3. Give an account of the purchase of Louisiana. 

4. What duel was fought in July, 1804 ? 

5. When Mr. Jefierson was chosen for a second term, who was 
chosen vice president in place of Aaron Burr ? Name the three 
leading events of Mr. Jefferson's second term. 

6. Give an account of the war with Tripoli. 

7. In what conspiracy was Aaron Burr engaged in 1806 ? 
What was done •w'ith Burr ? 

8. While England and France were at war, in what business 
were some of the people of this country engaged ? What *' order 



178 QUESTIONS. 

in council" was passed by the British government in May, 1806 ? 
What was its effect upon American commerce ? Hoav did Bona- 
parte, the French emperor, retaliate upon England ? And what, 
in turn, was done by England against France ? 

9. "What right was claimed by England in regard to American 
vessels ? "What course did our government take ? "What outrage 
was committed by a British frigate upon the American frigate 
Chesapeake ? Why was it not immediately resented ? What 
were the facts ? 

10. What was done by President Jefferson ? 

11. What were the British "orders in council," as passed in 
November, 1807 ? How was this measme met by Bonaparte ? 

12. What was the "embargo act" passed by Congress? Its 
effects ? What was substituted for it ? 

13. How long was ^Ir. Jefferson president ? By whom was he 
succeeded ? 

XII. Madison's Admixistration. — 1. When was Mr. Madi- 
son inaugurated as president of the United States } What im- 
portant information did he receive from Mr. Erskine, the British 
mmister ? What proclamation was made by the president ? 
AVhy was the proclamation revoked ? 

2. What is considered as the chief event of Mr. Madison's 
administration ? What led to this war ? 

3. What annoyances were practised by England towards our 
merchant vessels? 

4. What happened in the evening of May 16, 1811, off the 
capes of Virginia ? Ilclate the circumstances. 

5. Who was sent against the Wabash Indians, in 1811 ? Who 
were the chiefs of the tribes in that country ? What proposi- 
tion was made to General Harrison ? What precaution did he 
take? 

6. What took place on the 7th November, 1811? What fol- 
lowed ? What name is given to this battle ? 

7. When was Louisiana admitted as a state ? 

8. What message did ^Ir. Jiladison send to Congress, June 1, 
1812 ? What were his reasons urging a war? 

9. How was the president's recommendation received by Con- 
gress ? What measures were taken to prosecute the war ? 

10. Who was governor of Michigan Tenitory at the opening of 



QUESTIONS. 179 

the war ? What was he authorized to do ? Give the particulars 
of his movements. 

11^ By whom was General Hull pursued? What strange 
proceedings occurred ? How were his men affected ? What sur- 
render was made by Hull to the British ? 

12. What became of Hull ? 

13. What naval battle took place August 19, 1812 ? 

14. What battle occurred in Canada, October 13 ? Give an 
account of it. 

15. 16. What naval engagements are related in these sec- 
tions ? 

17. Summary of the campaign of 1812 ? 

18. What disposition was made of the American forces La 1813 ? 
Who commanded the British forces ? 

19. When did Mr. Madison begin his second term of the presi- 
dency ? 

20. What was the wish of the western people at that period ? 
How was it brought about ? 

21. Describe the battle of the Thames. 

22. What effect had the recapture of Detroit ? What next be- 
came the leading object ? What was the result of the plan ? 

23. Which was the sixth naval victory of the Americans ? 

24. How was Captain La'WTcnce rewarded for his capture of 
the Peacock ? What did he learn on his arrival in Boston ? Did 
he accept ? What was the comparative condition of the two 
ships ? When did Captain La'W'rence sail ? When did the action 
begin ? How did it result ? 

25. What preparations had been made by Commodore Perry on 
Lake Erie ? What was the force of the British ? 

26. When and where did the squadrons meet ? Kelate the 
circumstances. In what manner did Commodore Perry announce 
the battle to General Harrison ? 

27. What part of the Atlantic coast was blockaded by the 
British ? What was done by them ? 

28. Who was sent against the Creek Indians, in 1814 ? 

29. Relate what occurred along the Niagara frontier in that 
summer. 

30. What British regnforcements came over in August, 1814? 
For what purpose ? 

31. What had been done to defend it r 



180 QUESTIONS. 

32. Where did a battle take place ? How did it terminate ? 
AVhat outrage was committed on the city ? 

33. What remark is made of this conduct ? 

34. What was General Ross's next point of attack ? With 
what forces ? What took place on the 12th of September ? What 
prevented Colonel Brooke from renewing the attack ? How were 
the Baltimore people affected by the results ? 

35. What occurred in Maine in August, 1814 ? 

36. Give an account of the battle of Plattsburg and of Lake 
Champlain. 

37. What memorable battle was fought on the 8th of Januan,-, 
1815 ? What American general qommanded in that battle ? How 
many British troops were there ? How many Americans, and 
what sort of soldiers were they r How did General Jackson pre- 
pare to receive the British ? Who commanded the British ? 

38. Describe the approach and meeting of the armies. 

39. What were the effects of the American fire ? What act of 
a daring British officer is mentioned ? 

40. How long did the battle last, and what was the result ? 

41. What news amved from Europe on the I7th of February ? 
What is remarked about the war vessels at sea ? 

42. What new war occurred soon after peace ■with England ? 
Give the particulars. 

43. What took place at Tunis and Tripoli ? 

44. When M'as Indiana admitted into the Union ? Give a 
sketch of its history. 

45. What bank was incorporated by Congress in 1816? Who 
succeeded Mr. Madison as president ? 

Xni. Monroe's Administration. — 1. When was James 
Monroe inaugurated president? What was the state of the 
nation then ? Remark on western emigi-ation. 

2. What division was made of Mississippi Territory in 1817? 
Give a sketch of its history. War with the Seminoles and Creeks. 

3. When was Illinois admitted into the Union ? Give a ."ikctch 
of its history. 

4. What Spanish territory was ceded to the United States in 
February, 1819? When was Florida discovered? What was 
the origin of its name ? Which is the oldest tovm. in North 
America ? When was it founded i 



QUESTIONS. 181 

5. When was Alabama admitted into the Union ? What is 
said of this territory ? 

6. When did Maine become one of the states ? Give a sketch 
of its history. 

7. When did Mr. Monroe's second term begin ? 

8. When was Missouri admitted ? Who were the first settlers 
here ? When was Fort Orleans built ? Which is the oldest 
town ? Which next ? Finish the sketch. 

9. What measures were taken in 1822 to break up the pirates in 
the West Indies ? 

10. What distinguished personage visited this country in 1824 ? 
Give the particulars of his visit. 

11. Who were the candidates for the presidency in 1824 ? Who 
was chosen, and how ? 

XIV. John Quincy Adams's Adjiinisthation. — 1. When 
was Mr. Adams inaugurated ? What was the state of the nation 
then? 

2. What remarkable events took place on the 4th of July, 
1826 ? Give the remarks. 

3. By whom was Mr. Adams succeeded in the presidency? 
When ? 

XV. Jackson's Administration. — 1. When was General 
Jackson inaugurated ? Name the prgminent events of his admin- 
istration. 

2. When did General Jackson begin his second term ? Who 
was then chosen vice president ? What were the chief events of 
Jackson's second term ? 

3. Give an historical sketch of Michigan. 

4. By whom was General Jackson succeeded ? 

XVI. Van Buren's Administration. — 1. When was Mr. 
Van Buren inaugurated ? Name the prominent events of his 
administration. Who was his successor ? 

XVII. Harrison's Administration. — 1. When was Gen- 
eral Harrison inaugurated ? Who was chosen secretary of state ? 
How were the hopes of the nation disappointed ? 

2. How has the constitution provided for such an event ? 
16 



182 QUESTIONS. 

3. Name the prominent events of Mr. Tyler's administration. 

4. Give a sketch of the history of Iowa. 

5. Give a sketch of Texas. 

6. "Who were candidates for the presidency in 1844 ? "Who was 

chosen ? 

XYIII. Polk's Administration. — 1. When was Mr. Polk 
inaugurated ? Name the prominent events of his administration. 

2. Death of General Jackson. 

3. Give an account of the founding of the Smithsonian In- 
stitute. 

4. Of what was the admission of Texas into the Union a cause ? 
"What movement was General Taylor ordered to make r How 
did Mexico consider the act ? 

5. When did General Taylor take post at Point Isabel ? Where 
did he next build a fort ? What was the first conflict of the 
war ? 

6. Why did General Taylor return to Point Isabel ? What 
occurred at Fort Brown during his absence ? Where did Taylor 
meet the Mexican force on the 8th of May ? What was the 
result ? What two officers did the Americans lose ? 

7. When and where was General Taylor's second battle with 
the Mexicans ? Give the particulars. When was ^Matamoras 
taken by the Americans ? 

8. What plan of operations was formed, after General Taylor 
had taken Matamoras ? Towards what city in the interior of 
Mexico did General Taylor proceed in August ? Give an account 
of the capture of Monterey. 

9. What orders were received by General Taylor on the 13th 
of October r How were the American forces stationed to carry on 
the war ? 

10. What movement was made by General Kearney on the 
25th of September ? Why did he alter his mind ? Relate the 
exploit of Colonel Doniphan. 

11. "WTiat intelligence did General Taylor receive at Agua 
Nueva .' To what place did he fall back to await the approach 
of Santa Anna ? Give particulars. 

12. What important operations were confided to General Scott? 
Describe the siege and capture of Vera Cruz. Where was the 
next opposition encountered by General Scott ? Flight of Santa 
Anna. 



QUESTIONS. 183 

13. What three places were next captured by General Scott ? 
How long did he remain at La Puebla ? When and with what 
forces did General Scott reach San Augustine ? What battles 
soon followed ? 

14. What did General Scott endeavor to do while at Churubus- 
co ? What posts were stormed and carried by General Worth ? 
What followed next ? When was the American flag displayed 
upon the national palace in Mexico ? 

15. When and where was a treaty of peace made? When was 
it ratified by the Mexican Congress ? What were its most impor- 
tant provisions ? 

16. Narrate the time and circumstances of the death of John 
Quincy Adams. 

17. When was Wisconsin admitted into the Union ? Give a 
sketch of its history. 

18. Who succeeded Mr. Polk as president of the United States? 
Who was made vice president ? 

XIX. Gexeeal Taylor's Administration. — 1. When did 
General Taylor take the oath of office ? What events occurred 
in his administration ? 

2. When did President Taylor die ? From what cause ? Who 
succeeded him in office ? 

3. What is remarked on a provision of the constitution ? 

4. Name the chief events of Mr. Fillmore's administration. 

5. Wlio were candidates for the presidency in 1852 ? Which 
received a majority of votes ? 



CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE 



AMERICAN HISTORY. 



CAREFULLY COMPILED. 



923. Discovery and settlement of Greenland by the Icelanders. 
1-13.5. Columbus born at Genoa, in Italy. 

1492. Columbus discovers the Islands of Guanahani, Cuba, and 

Ilayti. 

1493. Columbus discovers Porto Rico. 
1491. Columbus discovers Jamaica. 

1496. Tobacco discovered in Ilayti. 

1497. North America discovered by the Cabots at Labrador. 

1498. Columbus discovers S. America at Guiana and Venezuela. 

1499. South America visited by Americus Vcspucius. 

1500. The Amazon at its mouth discovered by Pin(^on. 

" Columbus sent back to Spain in chains by Bovadilla. 
1502. Columbus discovers the Hay of Honduras ; his last voyage. 
1506. Columbus dies at Valladolid, in Spain. 

1510. First colony planted on the main land at the Isthmus of 

Darien, by Balboa. 

1511. Velasquez conquers the natives of Cuba. 

1512. Ponce de Leon discovers Florida. 

1513. Balboa discovers the South Sea. 

1516. lliode la Plata discovered by De Solis. 

1517. Cordova explores Yucatan. 

(184) 



CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 185 

1518. Grijalva discovers the soixthern part of Mexico. 

1519. Cortez invades Mexico ; lands at Vera Cruz. 

'• Commencement of the first voyage round the world. 

1520. Death of Montezuma, king of Mexico. 
" Magellan discovers Patagonia. 

" De Ayllon discovers Carolina. 

1521. Death of Guatemozin, and conquest of Mexico by Cortez. 

1524. Verrazani explores the coast of North America. 

1525. Pizarro invades Peru. 

1526. Sebastian Cabot explores the La Plata. 
1533. Lima in Peru founded by Pizarro. 
1535. Cartier explores the Kiver St. Lawrence. 
1537. Chili discovered by Almegro. 

1539. De Soto lands in Plorida. 

15-10. Orellana explores the Amazon from Peru to the Atlantic. 

1541. De Soto discovers the Mississippi River. 

" Cartier builds a fort near the present site of Quebec. 
1545. Silver mines of Potosi discovered. 
1549. Roberval sails for Canada with a colony. 
1562. Coligny attempts to found a colony of French Protestants 

in Florida. 
1565. St. Augustine founded by Spaniards. 

1584. Sii' Walter Raleigh despatches two vessels to Virginia ; the 

name given by Queen Elizabeth. 

1585. He attempts to found a colony at Roanoke. 

1586. Discovery of Davis's Straits. 

1602. Gosnold discovers and names Cape Cod, and Elizabeth and 

Martha's Vineyard islands. 

1603. Coast of Maine visited by Martin Pring. 

1605. Port Royal, Acadie, [Nova Scotia,] founded by the French 

under De Monts. 

1606. James I. grants North Virginia to the Plymouth Company, 

and South Virginia to the London Company. 

1607. The Plymouth Company send George Popham to found 

the " Sagadahoc Colonrj," at the mouth of the Kennebec, 
in North Virginia. 
«' The London Company send Christopher Ne'wport to found 
the " Jamestown CoJony," in South Virginia. 

1608. French settlement at Quebec founded by Champlain. 
«« Pocahontas saves the life of John Smith, Virginia. 

16* 



186 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 

1609. Hudson River discovered by Henry Hudson. 

1610. Delaware Bay named in honor of Lord de la War, who vis- 

ited the bay at that time, and died on his vessel at its 
mouth. 

1613. Pocahontas marries John Rolfe. 

1614. New York settled by the Dutch on Manhattan Island, (now 

New York,) and at Fort Orange, (Albany.) 
1616. Tobacco first cultivated in Virginia. 

1619. First colonial assembly in Virginia, June. 

1620. Commencement of negro slavery at Jamestown, Virginia. 

" The Puritans in the " Mayflower " set sjiil from Southamp- 
ton, England, for America, Sept. 16. 

" The <' Mayflower" anchors in Cape Cod harbor, Nov. 21. 

" John Carver chosen first governor of Plj-mouth colony, be- 
fore leaving their vessel. 

" The " Pilgrim Fathers " land on Plymouth Rock, in Mas- 
sachusetts, Dec. 21. 

1622. Massacre of 347 men, women, and children of the Virginia 

colony by the Indians, April I. 

1623. Maine and New Hampshire settled by the English. 
«< New Jersey settled by the Dutch and Swedes. 

1627. Delaware settled by Swedes and Finns. 

1628. Salem founded by John Endicott. 

1629. Charlestown founded by Massachusetts Bay colony. 

1630. Boston, Cambridge, Roxbury, and Dorchester founded. 

" John Winthrop first governor of Massachusetts Bay colony. 

1633. First house built in Connecticut, at Windsor. 

1634. Maryland founded by Lord Baltimore. 

1635. Hartford, Windsor, and Wethersfield settled. 
" Roger Williams banished from Massachusetts. 

1636. Providence, Rhode Island, founded by Roger Williams. 

1637. Destruction of the Pequod Indians by Captain Mason, in 

Connecticut. 
•« Mrs. Anne Hutchinson banished from Massachusetts. 

1638. New Haven founded by Eaton and Davenport. 
•' Harvard College, Cambridge, founded. 

1640. Montreal founded. 
1643. Union of the New England colonies. 
1645. Clayborne's rebellion in INIaryland. 

1649. Charles I., king of England, beheaded by order of Parlia- 
ment. 



CHRONOLOaiCA-L TABLE. 187 

1651. Navigation Act, passed by Great Britain, restricting the 
commerce of the colonies. 

1653. Oliver Cromwell, Protector of the Commonwealth of Eng- 
land. He dies 1658. 

1655. Stuyresant captures the Swedish settlement in Delaware. 
" Conquest of Jamaica Island by the English. 

165S. First arrival of Quakers in Massachusetts, and persecution. 

1659. Four Quakers executed on Boston Common. 

1630. Restoration of monarchy in England under Charles II. 
" "Wlialley and Goffe, the regicides, seek refuge in New 
England. 

1663. Carolina granted to Lord Clarendon by Charles II. 

lo64. The Dutch at New Amsterdam conquered by the English, 
and the name changed to New York. 

1665. Elizabethtown, Ncav Jersey, settled. 

1672. Charleston, South Carolina, founded. 

1673. New York retaken by the Dutch ; restored in 1674. 
" Mississippi River explored by Marquette and Johet. 

1675. Commencement of King Philip's war ; attack on Swanzey. 

1676. New Jersey divided into East and West Jersey. 
" Bacon's rebellion in Virginia. 

1678. Death of King Pliilip ; close of the war. 

1681. Pennsylvania founded by William Penn. 

1682. Arrival of Penn in America ; he purchases Delaware. 

" De la Salle gives the name Louisiana to the country on 

both sides of Mississippi River. 
1686. Sir Edmund Andios appointed governor of New England 

by James II. 
" Massachusetts deprived of her charter. 

1688. New York and New Jersev under Sir Edmund Andros. 

1689. William III. accedes to the throne of England. 

" Sir Edmund Andros seized and imprisoned in Boston, and 

sent home to England. 
«' Commencement of King William's war. 
'* Dover attacked by the French and Indians. 

1690. Schenectady burned by the French and Indians. 

'< Successful expedition of Sir William Phips against Port 

Royal, Nova Scotia. 
" First paper money issued in Massachusetts. 

1691. Trial and execution of Leisltr and Milborne at New York, 

on a charge of treason. 



188 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 

1692. Massachusetts Bay colony and Pljinouth colony united 
under a new charter. 
" The witchcraft delusion at Salem. 

1695. Rice introduced into Carolina from Africa. 

1696. Indian attack on Haverhill. 

1697. Peace of Ryswick ; close of King "William's w£ir. 

1698. First French colony at the mouth of the Mississippi. 
" Earl of Bellamont governor of New York. 

1699. Captain Kidd, the pirate, arrested at Boston. 
1701. Yale College founded. 

" Commeucement of Queen Anne's war. 
1704 First newspaper (Boston News Letter) published at Boston, 
by B. Green. 

•' French and Indians attack Deerfield. 
1710. First colonial post office at New York. 

»' German settlements in North Carolina. 

" Nova Scotia permanently annexed to the British crown. 
1713. The Tuscaroras join the Five Nations. 

" Peace of Utrecht ; close of Queen Anne's war. 
1717. New Orleans founded by the French. 

1720. Tea first used in New England. 

1721. Inoculation for small pox introduced into New England. 
1724. Fort Dummer built in Vermont. 

1729. North and South Carolina separated. 

1731. Fort at Crown Point built. 

1732. Feb. 22. Birth of George Washington. 

1733. Georgia settled by Oglethorpe. 

1738. College founded at Princeton, New Jersey. 
1742. Faneuil Hall erected at Boston by Peter Faneuil. 

1744. King George's war begins. 

1745. Louisburg, on Cape Breton Island, captured by the English. 
1748. Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ; King George's war closed. 

1753. George Washington sent on an embassy to the French 

commandant on the Ohio. 

1754. Commencement of the old French war. 
" Fort Du Qucsne built, April 18. 

*« Wa.shington defeats a party of French under Jumonville at 
the Great Meadows, May 28. 

" Benjamin Franklin proposes a plan of union for the colo- 
nies, July 4. 



CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 1B9 

1754. Tennessee first settled. 

1755. Arrival of General Braddock with British troops. 

•' Colonel Monckton destroys the French settlements on the 

Bay of Fundy, June 4. 
" Braddock' s defeat at Fort Du Quesne, July 9. 
" Expeditions against Niagara and Crown Point. 
" Fort William Henry built near Lake George, New York. 

1756. Loudon and Abercrombie command the English forces in 

America. 
" Marquis Montcalm commander of the French. 
" War declared between France and England, May 17. 

1757. Fort William Henry taken by the French. 

1758. Louisburg taken by the English, July 26. 

" Fort Frontenac taken by the English, Aug. 27. 
" Fort Du Quesne taken by the English, and name changed 
to Pittsburg, Nov. 25. 

1759. Niagara, Ticonderoga, and Crown Point taken by the 

English, in July. 
*♦ Battle on the Plains of Abraham, and General Wolfe and 

Marquis Montcalm killed. 
" Quebec surrenders to the English, Sept, 18. 

1763. Treaty of Paris, Feb. 10. France surrenders to Great 

Britain all her possessions in North America eastward of 
the Mississippi. 

1764. England declares her design of taxing the American colo- 

nies. 

1765. Passage of the " Stamp Act" by Parliament, March 22. 
(( Vu-ginia resolutions against the right of taxation. May 29, 

" Massachusetts calls a Congress of deputies from the colonies, 
June 6. 

" First Colonial Congress convenes at New York, and is- 
sues a declaration of rights, Oct. 7. 

1766. Stamp Act repealed by Parliament, March 18. 

1767. Taxes imposed on paper, glass, painters' colors, and teas, 

June 29. 
" Non-importation agreements adopted by the colonial as- 
semblies. 

1768. Circular issued by the Massachusetts Assembly to the other 

colonies, to unite in obtaining a redress of grievances, 
Februarv. 



190 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 

1768. A regiment of British troops landed in Boston, Oct. 1. 

1769. Dartmouth College founded. 
" Daniel Boone in Kentucky. 

1770. Citizens killed by British troops in State Street, Boston, 

March o. 
" Lord North's partial repeal act, passed April 12. 

1773. Destruction of three hundred and forty-two chests of tea in 

Boston harbor, Dec. IG. 

1774. Boston Port Bill passed by Parliament, March 31. 
'< General Gage fortifies Boston Neck. 

" The members of the Massachusetts Assembly resolve them- 
selves into a Provincial Congress, October. 

«' Second Continental Congress meets at Philadelphia, in 
September. 

" Committees of " Safety " and " Supplies " appointed by 
Massachusetts ; twelve thousand men to be equipped for 
service. 
1776. Several ships of the line and ten thousand troops ordered 
to America. 

«« Battle of Lexington, April 19. 

" Ticonderoga and Crown Point taken by Ethan Allen and 
Benedict Arnold, May 10. 

" Congress votes to raise an army of twenty thousand men. 

" George Washington appointed commander-in-chief of the 
American army, June 15. 

" Battle of Bunker Hill, June 17. 

" Washington takes command of the army at Cambridge, 
July 12. 

•• Sir William Howe succeeds General Gage as commander 
of the English forces in America. 

" The royal governors take refuge on board the English ship- 
ping. 

" Battle of Quebec; General Montgomery killed, General 
Arnold wounded, Dec. 31. 
1776. Lord Dunmore burns Norfolk, Jan. 1. 

«' Washington fortifies " Dorchester Heights," March 4. 

*' The British evacuate Boston, March 17. 

" Washington moves his army to New York, April. 

" Repulse of the British at Charleston, S. C, June 28. 

" Declaration of Independence, July 4. 



CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 191 

1776. Dr. Benjamin Franklin sent to Paris to obtain the favor of 

the French government. 

" The British troops land on Long Island, Aug. 22. 

" Battle of Long Island ; Washington defeated, Aug. 27. 

•« Washington abandons New York city, Sept. 12. 

" The British take New York, Sept. 15. 

" Battle of White Plains, Oct. 28. 

" British take Fort Washington and Fort Lee, Nov. 16 and 18. 

" General Washington retreats through New Jersey, Novem- 
ber and December. 

" Battle of Trenton ; Washington captures one thousand 
Hessian troops, Dec. 26. 

1777. Battle of Princeton ; Washington defeats the British, 

Jan. 3. 

" Washington encamps at Morristown. 

♦« Washington recovers New Jersey. 

" General Tryon destroys Danbury, Connecticut, April 26. 

" Arrival of the Marquis de Lafayette from France with 
troops and supplies for the American army ; Congress 
gives him a major-general's commission, July 31. 

'< Battle of Bennington, Aug. 16. 

" Battle of Brandy wine, Sept. 11. 

♦' Battle of Stillwater, Sept. 19. 

" British enter Philadelphia, Sept. 26. 

'• Battle of Gerinantown, Oct. 4. 

" Battle of Saratoga, Oct. 7. 

" Surrender of Burgoyne's army to General Gates, at Sarato- 
ga, Oct. 17. 

" British capture Forts Mifflin and Mercer, on the Delaware, 
Nov. 16 and 18. 

<' Articles of Confederation adopted by Congress, Nov. 15. 

" Washington's army encamped at Valley Forge, Dec. 8. 

" Conspiracy to supplant Washington. 

1778. liord North's conciliatory bills passed by Parliament, 

March 11. 
' < Independence of the United States acknowledged by France, 

and a treaty of alliance signed, Feb. 6. 
" British evacuate Philadelphia, June 18. 
" Battle of Monmouth, June 28. 
«« Arrival of a French licet under Count d'Estaing, July H. 



192 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 

1778. Massacre of Wyoming, July 3 and 4. 

" General Sullivan's retreat from Rhode Island, Aug. 30. 

" Savannah taken by the British, Dec. 29. 

1779. British capture Stony Point, on the Hudson, May 31. 
" War between England and Spain, June 16. 

«« Stony Point recaptured by General Wayne, July 15 
and 16. 

" " Battle of the Chemung," in New York, Aug. 29. 

" Naval battle off the coast of Scotland, between a flotilla of 
French and American vessels commanded by Paul Jones, 
who captured two English frigates with a fleet of mer- 
chantmen, Sept. 23. 

•« Repulse of the Americans at Savannah, Oct. 9. 

1780. Battle of Monk's Corner, April 14. 

" British take Charleston, South Carolina, May 12, 

" Arrival of French forces under Admiral de Temay and 
Count de Rochambeau, July 10. 

•« Battle of Sanders's Creek, Aug. 16. 

" Battle of King's Mountain, Oct. 7. 

" Treason of Benedict Arnold ; capture of Major Andr6 ; es- 
cape of Arnold ; death of Andre, September. 

" War between England and Holland, Dec. 20. 

1781. Revolt of the Pennsylvania troops at Morristown, Jan. 1. 
*« Bank of North America founded. 

" Lafayette attempts the capture of the traitor Arnold, 

March. 
" General Greene appointed to command the southern army. 
*' Battle of the Cowpcns, Jan. 17. 
•* Remarkable retreat of General Greene across the Catawba, 

Yadkin, and Dan Rivers, January and February. 
" Battle of Guilford Court House, March 15. 
" Battle of Hobkirk's Hill, April 25. 
" Execution of Colonel Isaac Hayne, at Charleston, South 

Carolina. 
«« Battle of Eutaw Springs, Sept. 8. 

<« Cornwallis's army concentrated at Yorktown, August. 
" Siege of Yorktown by the combined armies of Americans 

and French, Sept. 30. 
" Surrender of seven thousand British troops at Yorktown, 

Oct. 19. 



CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 193 

1782. Preliminaries of peace signed at Paris, Nov. 30. 

1783. Cessation of hostilities proclaimed, April 19. 

" Definitive treaties of peace between England and the United 

States, France, Spain, and Holland, Sept. 3. 
" American army disbanded, Nov. 3. 
" New York evacuated by the British, Nov. 25. 
" AVashington resigns his commission, Dec. 23. 

1786. Shays's insurrection in Massachusetts. 

1787. Convention to form a Federal Constitution meet at Phila- 

delphia, ilay — Sejotember. 

1788. Federal Constitution adopted. 

1789. George "Washington elected President, April 30. 

1790. District of Columbia ceded by Virginia and Maryland. 
" Constitution adopted by Rhode Island, May 29. 

1791. Vermont admitted mto the Union, March 4. 
" Bank of the United States established. 

1792. Kentucky admitted into the Union, June 1. 

1793. Washington reelected president. Death of John Hancock. 
179-1. Insun-ection in Pennsylvania. 

1796. Tennessee admitted into the Union, June 1. 

1797. John Adams inaugurated president, March 4. 

1798. Washington reappointed commander-in-chief. 

1799. Death of George Washington, Dec. 1-1. 

1800. Seat of government removed to Washington. 

1801. Thomas Jefferson maugurated president, March 4. 

1802. Louisiana ceded by Spain to France, July 20. 

1803. Ohio admitted into the Union, Feb. 19. 

'• Louisiana purchased by the United States, April 30. 

'« Commodore Preble bombards Tripoli, August. 
1801. Alexander Hamilton killed in a duel by Aaron Burr. 
1805. Treaty of peace with Tripoli, June 3. 
.1806. Expedition of Lewis and Clarketo the Columbia. 

1807. Trial of Aaron Burr for treason. 

'< Attack on the frigate Chesapeake, June 22. 

♦' Interdict to armed British vessels, July 2. 

«' British orders in council, Nov. 11. 

" First steamboat invented by Robert Fulton, New York. 

«' Milan decree, Dec. 17. 

" Embargo laid by the American government, Dec. 22. 

1808. Slave trade abolished, Jan. 1. 

17 



194 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 

1809. Embargo repealed, March 1. Bayonne decree. 
♦• James Madison inaugurated president, March 4. 

1810. Rambouillet decree, March 23. 

1811. Engagement between the frigate President and Little Belt, 

May 16. Battle of Tippecanoe, Nov. 7. 

1812. Embargo for ninety days, April 3. Wax declared, June 18. 
•« British orders in council repealed, June 23. 

'• Surrender of General Hull, August 15. 
" Action between frigates Constitution and Gxierriere. 
" Defeat of the Americans at Queensto-\\-n, November. 
*' Louisiana admitted into the Union, April 8. 

1813. Capture of York, Upper Canada, April 27. 
" Battle of Fort George, May 27. 

" Chesapeake captured by the Shannon, June 1. 

" Perry's victory on Lake Erie, Sept. 10. 

«• Battle of the Thames, Oct. 8. Buffalo burned, Dec. 13. 
1811. Action between the frigates Essex and Phoebe, March 28. 

«' Battle of Chippewa, July o. Battle of Bridgewater, July 25. 

" Washington city captured and capital burned, August. 

«' Stonington bombarded, Aug. 9, 11. 

" Macdonough's victorj' on liake Champlain, Aug. 11. 

•' Battle near Baltimore, Sept. 12. 

" Treaty of Ghent signed, Dec. 21. 
1815. Battle of Now Orleans, Jan. 8.' 

" Treaty of Ghent ratified by the president, Eob. 17. 

" War declared with Algiers, March. 

1817. James Monroe inaugurated president, March 4. 
«• Mississippi admitted into the Union, Dec. 10. 

1818. Illinois admitted into the Union, Dec. 3. 

1819. Alabama admitted into the Union, Dec. 14. 

1820. Elaine admitted into the Union, March 15. 

" Cession of Florida to the United States ratified by Spain. 

1821. Gas first used for lighting streets in the U. S., at Baltimore. 
" Jackson takes possession of Florida, July 1. 

" Missouri admitted into the Union, Aug. 10. 

1824. Convention with Great Britain for the suppression of the 

slave trade, March 13 ; and with llussia in relation to the 
north-west boundary, April 5. 
" Arrival of General Lafayette, on a visit to the U. States, 
Aug. 13. 

1825. John Q. Adams inaugurated president, March 4. 



CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 195 

1825. Departure of General Lafayette, Sept. 7. 

1826. Death of Presidents Adams and .Teffcrson, July 4. 
" Andrew Jackson inaugurated president, March 4. 
" Slavery abolished in Mexico, Sept. 15. 

1831. Death of James Moni'oe, July 4. 

1832. Cholera breaks out at Quebec, in Canada — first appearance 

in America — June 8. Capture of Black Hawk, Aug. 27. 
" Electro-Magnetic Telegraph invented by Professor Morse, 

America. 
" John C. Calhoun resigns as vice president, Dec. 28. 

1833. New tariff bill signed by the president, March 1. 

" Andrew Jackson inaugurated president for a second term, 

March 4. 
" State rights convention of South Carolina, March 11. 
" Santa Anna inaugurated president of Mexico, May IG. 
" Public deposits removed from the Eank of the United 

States, by order of General Jackson, Oct. 1. 

1834. Vote of censure by the Senate against General Jackson, for 

removing the deposits, March 28. (Soon after expunged.) 

1835. Seminole war begun in Florida. 

" Great fire in New York, Dec. 16. 

1836. Battle of San Jacinto, in Texas, April 21. 

" Arkansas admitted into the Union, June 14. 
" Burning of the general post oflice and patent office, Wash- 
ington, Dec. 15. 

1837. Michigan admitted into the Union, Jan. 26. 

" Martin Van Buren inaugurated president, March 4. 

1840. Antarctic continent discovered by the United States Ex- 

ploring Expedition, Jan, 19. 
" Sub-treasury bill becomes a law, June 30. 

1841. "William II. Harrison inaugurated president, March 4. 
" Death of President Harrison, April 4. 

" Sub-treasury bill reiDcaled, Aug. 4. 
'« Bankrupt act becomes a law, Aug. 18. 

1842. Bankrupt act repealed, March 3, 

" Contest for the extension of suffrage in Rhode Island. 

" Treaty of Washington, negotiated by Daniel Webster and 

Lord Ashburton, settling the north-eastern boundary of 

the United States. 
1845. Texas annexed to the United States, !Marcli 1. 
" Florida admitted into the Union, March 3. 



196 CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE. 

1845. James K. Polk inaugurated president, March 4. 

" Death of Andrew Jackson, June 18. 

" Texas admitted into the Union, Dec. 21. Treaty with China. 
184G. Proclamation ol war existing with Mexico, May 13. 

•' Battles of Palo Alto» and llesaca de la Palma, May 8 and 9. 

" Tlie (Jregon treaty with Great Britain, settling the north- 
western boundary, signed at London, June 18. 

" Storming of iionterey, and surrender, Sej^t. 19, 24. 

" Iowa admitted into the Union, December. 

1847. Battle of Buena Vista, Pcb. 23. 

" Vera Cruz taken by General Scott, March 27. 

" Battle of Cerro Gordo, April 16. 

" Battle of Contrcras and Churubusco, Aug. 20. 

" Battle of Chapultepec, Sept, 13. 

•• American troops, under General Scott, entered the city of 

Mexico, Sept. 14, and on the 15th took full possession of 

the city. 
*' "Wisconsin admitted into the Union, December. 

1848. Death of John Quincy Adams, in the Capitol at Washing- 

ton, Feb. 23. 

'• Treaty of peace with Mexico ratified at Queretaro, in Mex- 
ico, May 30. 

" Fii'st deposit of California gold in the mint, Dec. 8. 

1849. Death of James K. Polk, at Nashville, Tennessee, June 15. 

1850. Death of John C Calhoun, at Washington, March 31. 
" Death of Zachary Taylor, at Washington, July 9. 

«< Millard Fillmore, vice president of the United States, be-^. 

comes president on the death of General Taylor. 
" California admitted into the Union, and Utah and New 

Mexico organized territories, Sept. 7. 
" Slave trade abolished in the District of Columbia, Sept. IG. 

1851. Principal room of the Librarj' of Congress destroyed by fire, 

with about 35,000 volumes of books. 

1852. Henry Clay dies at V\'ashington. D. C, aged 75, June 29. 
" Daniel Webster dies at Marshfield, Mass., aged 70, Oct. 24. 

1853. Franklin Pierce is inaugurated president of the United 

States, March 4. 



